By As Coming Soon noted yesterday, MGM is finally moving forward with Shanghai Dawn, the sequel to Jackie Chan/Owen Wilson films Shanghai Noon (2000) and Shanghai Knights (2003). As Flixist EIC Matthew Razak said in our staff emails: “Things I Did Not Ever Think Would Happen for 1,000, Alex.”
There is currently no story in place and no writers either, but it’s not like that’s stopped Hollywood before. Also, it looks like the naming convention of these films is pretty much like Richard Linklater’s critically acclaimed Before series, the fourth film of which will come out in 2022 and be called Before Shanghai Noon.
I personally felt that Shanghai Noon and Shanghai Knights were two of Jackie Chan’s underrated ventures in the United States. More like a Hong Kong film in terms of tone and execution, and boasting more personality and better action than the Rush Hour movies, the Shanghai films had a kooky anarchism that played to the strengths of both Chan and Wilson.
Many, many years ago when I was a college arts journalist, I covered an LA press junket for Shanghai Knights, and Knights director David Dobkin joked about a third movie being able to drop the characters Chon Wang and Roy O’Bannon wherever and whenever in history. He said something about the two of them being involved in the assassination plot of Archduke Ferdinand. Hilarity (and The Great War) ensues.
Personally, I hope the movie winds up being a martial arts musical-comedy since the Singin’ in the Rain homage was one of the highlights of Shanghai Knights and I have for many years believed that Jackie Chan should do a musical.
[via Coming Soon]