somehow I'm not that surprised
Was a bit bummed when I heard that Jet Li was going to stop making martial arts films after Fearless months back. For totally unrelated reasons, I was looking him up on wikipedia and I noticed that after that film he was slated for 3 more, 2 of which appear to be martial arts films. Skimmed back up to the end of his biography and found this:
His latest martial arts film epic is Fearless. Although he will continue to make movies, Fearless is his last martial arts epic. In Fearless, he is known as Huo Yuanjia or "Wong Fei Hung" in China, named after the real-life founder of Chin Woo Athletic Association, who reportedly defeated foreign boxers and Japanese martial artists in publicized events at a time when China's power was seen as eroding. Together with the film Fist of Legend, Li has portrayed both Chen Zhen, the fictional student and avenger of Huo Yuanjia, as well as Huo Yuanjia himself. Fearless was released on September 22, 2006 in the United States where it reached second place in its first weekend.
"I stepped into the martial arts movie market when I was only 16. I think I have proved my ability in this field and it won't make sense for me to continue for another five or 10 years. Huo Yuanjia is a conclusion to my life as a martial arts star." - Jet Li
Jet Li has stated in an interview with the Shenzhen Daily newspaper that this will be his last martial arts movie, which is also stated in the movie's television promotions. However, he plans to continue his film career in other genres. (To Clarify, he said that Fearless would be his final Kung-Fu film. A kung-Fu film is an epic film that deals more with religious and philosophical issues, like Fearless and Hero, but plans to contiune action and martial arts films.)
Li's latest film, Rogue, began principal photography in the spring of 2006, re-teaming Jet Li with actor Jason Statham and action choreographer Corey Yuen.
In May 2006, there was an official announcement that Jackie Chan and Jet Li would be making a movie together and are both working on a script at the moment. The film is rumored to be based on characters and storylines from the Chinese folk novel Journey to the West. The film is scheduled to start filming in early 2007, after Chan completes filming on Rush Hour 3.
His latest martial arts film epic is Fearless. Although he will continue to make movies, Fearless is his last martial arts epic. In Fearless, he is known as Huo Yuanjia or "Wong Fei Hung" in China, named after the real-life founder of Chin Woo Athletic Association, who reportedly defeated foreign boxers and Japanese martial artists in publicized events at a time when China's power was seen as eroding. Together with the film Fist of Legend, Li has portrayed both Chen Zhen, the fictional student and avenger of Huo Yuanjia, as well as Huo Yuanjia himself. Fearless was released on September 22, 2006 in the United States where it reached second place in its first weekend.
"I stepped into the martial arts movie market when I was only 16. I think I have proved my ability in this field and it won't make sense for me to continue for another five or 10 years. Huo Yuanjia is a conclusion to my life as a martial arts star." - Jet Li
Jet Li has stated in an interview with the Shenzhen Daily newspaper that this will be his last martial arts movie, which is also stated in the movie's television promotions. However, he plans to continue his film career in other genres. (To Clarify, he said that Fearless would be his final Kung-Fu film. A kung-Fu film is an epic film that deals more with religious and philosophical issues, like Fearless and Hero, but plans to contiune action and martial arts films.)
Li's latest film, Rogue, began principal photography in the spring of 2006, re-teaming Jet Li with actor Jason Statham and action choreographer Corey Yuen.
In May 2006, there was an official announcement that Jackie Chan and Jet Li would be making a movie together and are both working on a script at the moment. The film is rumored to be based on characters and storylines from the Chinese folk novel Journey to the West. The film is scheduled to start filming in early 2007, after Chan completes filming on Rush Hour 3.