There were some movies made early in the 2000s that featured Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson called Shanghai Noon and then Shanghai Knights. Unfortunately, I’ve been trying to forget these two movies from my mind and even needed to google their names, so I was making progress. Now that’s not to say the movies were that bad. I mean Jackie Chan kicking butt is one of the better things you can find in cinema. However, after the gluttony of Rush Hours films that came our way and got increasingly worse, these just seemed like Western versions of pretty much the same thing. It was an overload that I just couldn’t handle. They still made money though, so I was clearly in the minority back then. And so it seems that MGM won’t let the franchise just die, with news of a third film, titled Shanghai Dawn, reportedly now being in development.
The Hollywood Reporter is revealing that plans for this 3rd sequel, which was put on hold after the release of the second film in 2003, are now back in progress. Clearly they feel enough time has passed for audiences to have forgotten the whole concept and find this new one appealing. And it appears they may not only have secured the two stars in Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson, but also potentially landed a director as well, in Napoleon Dynamite’s Jared Hess.
Now, although Hess has deviated a lot from his early classic, his directorial style is not exactly one that you would associate with high action scenes and slapstick comedy. It’s an interesting decision to say the least and one which I’m not sure how well it will work out. Expect a change in tone for this one to say the least. Though, I’m not sure you can tone down Jackie Chan in any way.
There is no word on what the potential plot of the film may be though, with the screenplay reported being written by the little known Theodore Riley and Aaron Buchsbaum, which also signals a change in focus on this one, as Miles Millar and Alfred Gough wrote the first two movies. There is a rumour that the female love interest from the films Lucy Lui may also be returning, though nothing has been reported in this new updated.
Are you a fan of Jackie Chan and excited that they are bring back the franchise? If this is a success, don’t be surprised when Rush Hour 4 and 5 comes our way. You’ve been warned. Mind you, that would at least be better than the horrid TV adaptation they tried to do earlier this year.
Last Updated: September 8, 2016
