We're excited about Sammo Hung's upcoming release, The Bodyguard, for a number of reasons: it's the first time since Sammo has officially directed a movie since 1997's Once Upon a Time in China and America, he's choreographing the action AND playing the lead alongside Andy Lau.
Hung plays a former elite bodyguard who has retired and begun a new life on the outskirts of China, on the border with Russia and North Korea. When Andy Lau and his daughter fall foul of a local crime lord, Hung must once more bring his certain set of skills into play to save them. But with the early onset of dementia being the reason why he retired, he must struggle to comprehend real threats as well as those that are just of his own imagination.
Originally announced under the title of Old Guard, the film's production fuelled fan forums with rumours that Jackie Chan would be joining the project, despite Chan's commitment to Dragon Blade and then Skip Trace at the same time being public knowledge. Hung is reunited with Lau (who previously worked with him on such projects as Twinkle Lucky Stars, Lucky Stars Go Places and The Fortune Code) who will soon be seen in The Great Wall alongside Matt Damon and Willem Dafoe. China-based stunt actor Tomer Oz most recently seen in Dragon Blade, plays a villain who comes to blows with Hung's character in the course of the action. From the body-count shown in the first official still released for the film, it looks like Hung means business. Meanwhile, Hung is currently working on the action scenes for the Monkey King 2 starring Aaron Kwok.