Chinese action stars, Jackie Chan, Donnie Yen, Jet Li and Wu Jing, could appear in 1941, a star-studded Hong Kong historic epic currently being developed by filmmakers Teddy Chan and Chin Ka-lok, with a slated release in 2027.
At an event reported by multiple Chinese media last month, Chan said he would be producing the film, which is intended to raise funds for aged members of the Hong Kong Stuntman Association and mark the 30th anniversary since Hong Kong’s handover to China next year.
In order to capture the glory of 90s Hong Kong action flicks, Chan said the movie would feature an ensemble cast of Hong Kong cinema’s biggest names, with Chin and Hong Kong film editor Wong Hoi serving as co-directors.
Speaking to TVB, Chan noted that discussions were underway with the main cast of male and female actors, which include Louis Koo, Nick Cheung, Daniel Wu and Charmaine Sheh. He added that two important roles would be played a male and female actor from the younger generation. However, contracts had not yet been signed with these performers, pending a script approval from the investors.
Other potential cast members that Chan named included Hong Kong cinema legends such as Jackie Chan, Donnie Yen, Wu Jing, Andy Lau, Sammo Hung, Yuen Woo-ping, Yuen Biao, Yueh Wah, Yuen Qiu, Stanley Tong, Stephen Tung and Tsui Hark.
The film is also hoping to gather certain actors from other popular Hong Kong film franchises such as The Young and Dangerous (1996-2000), as well as Infernal Affairs (2002-2003).
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“If it wasn’t for helping the [Hong Kong] Stuntman Association to raise funds, I don’t think you would even be able to hire some of these actors for a day of filming with a million dollars,” Chan told TVB. “But no one has brought up the topic of being financially compensated for their appearance because it’s for a charitable cause.”
According to Chin, 1941 is scheduled to begin filming at the end of this year.
As for the story, Hong Kong media reports it will feature the Fall of Hong Kong in 1941 as the backdrop. In order to recreate Hong Kong from that period, some of the filming will take place in the Greater Bay Area (GBA).
If Chan manages to gather Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao together, it will mark the first time that the trio have shared a screen since 1988’s Dragons Forever.
The three action stars, who were classmates at the China Drama Academy in Kowloon in the 1960s, co-starred in a string of popular action films throughout the 1980s, but have only acted on-screen in pairs since then.
This is not the first time that the Hong Kong and Chinese film industries have developed a star-studded film for charitable or symbolic purposes. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the Hong Kong film, All U Need Is Love (2021) was released to support film industry workers, with actors such as Louis Koo, Tony Leung Ka-fai, Eric Tsang and Jackie Chan all making an appearance.
Meanwhile, the mainland historic drama, The Founding of a Republic was released in 2009 to coincide with the 60th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China, with cameos from the likes of Andy Lau, Jackie Chan, Donnie Yen, Jet Li and Zhang Ziyi.
