Fans of Square Enix’s Hong Kong-based action video game Sleeping Dogs have been waiting a long time for it to come to the big screen. The great Donnie Yen became attached to star way back in 2017, but in January he not-so-quietly dropped out, expressing frustration over the many delays. Just weeks later, Shang-Chi star Simu Liu revealed that he had replaced Yen, and that the project was back on. And now the film has a director, and there couldn’t be a better choice.
Timo Tjahjanto revealed on social media that he will direct Sleeping Dogs, with Liu set to produce and star.
Tjahjanto is an Indonesian filmmaker who makes really kick-ass action movies, such as Killers, Headshot, Nobody 2, and most recently, The Beekeeper 2 starring Jason Statham.
Liu will take on the lead role of Wei Shun, a Chinese-American cop who goes undercover to infiltrate the dangerous Triads in Hong Kong. The games borrow heavily from the films of John Woo and Johnny To, so expect the movie to follow suit.
The script is by Tze Chun (Gotham, I’m A Virgo) had a first draft completed some months ago, but there’s no confirmed shooting date. Liu is currently busy with a new Peacock series, The Copenhagen Test, and his return as Shang-Chi in Avengers: Doomsday and probably Avengers: Secret Wars, too.
