Jackie Chan is perhaps the most well known Chinese martial artist, actor, producer, and director currently working in Hollywood. His work on the big screen has ranged from starring in a number of international releases and domestic blockbusters over the course of his entire career - most notably including the Hong Kong foreign language film Drunken Master in 1978 and the Rush Hour action-comedy franchise of the late 1990s and early-2000s. Likewise, Arnold Schwarzenegger has continued to be a persisting force in Hollywood as an action movie icon. His roles in several movies released in the 1980s cemented his status as a go-to action star - particularly for his work in The Terminator franchise and the original Predator.
Thus far, Chan and Schwarzenegger have yet to cross paths in a big way on the big screen, though the very idea of such an unlikely pairing could very well result in a thrilling feature film sure to please fans of each respective performer's outstanding filmography. On that note, it would appear that Chan and Schwarzenegger are finally set to cross cinematic paths in the forthcoming Russian-Chinese fantasy adventure Viy-2.
According to Variety, Chan and Schwarzenegger have just joined the cast of Viy-2 - the sequel to the 2014 Russian box office hit that made a grand total of $33.2 million in its country of origin - which also includes the likes of Rutger Hauer (Blade Runner) and leading man Jason Flemyng (X-Men: First Class). The film is set to follow the central exploits of English cartographer Jonathan Green (Flemyng), who is tasked with exploring and charting the Russian Far East. Along the way, Jonathan is fated to come into contact with a number of interesting characters and martial-arts masters, as he eventually makes his way to China.
Based on the original horror novella by acclaimed Russian writer Nikolai Gogol, Viy-2 is sure to feature Chan and Schwarzenegger in a big way - per the outsized narrative premise standing behind what is sure to be a wildly original fantasy adventure. Produced by returning filmmaker Alexey Petrukhin, the new Russian-Chinese film may well please genre fans of all stripes when the movie finally makes its way stateside - presumably within the next couple of years.
Moving the backdrop of the fantasy adventure from Transylvania to the Russian Far East and China should result in another compelling foreign language film, and the addition of such well known talents as Chan and Schwarzenegger might just result in some interest from American moviegoers. Only time will tell just how capably Viy-2 will fare when it finally makes its way to theaters around the world.
Screen Rant will keep you updated with any information related to Viy-2.
Source: Variety