Those still waiting for the franchise comedy sequel Shanghai Dawn are in some luck as lead actor Owen Wilson has just provided an update on the film's status. Preceded by the surprise blockbuster hits Shanghai Noon and Shanghai Knights from 2000 and 2003 respectively, the Chinese-American Western satire series co-starring Wilson and Jackie Chan saw the two A-list performers giving their all to a wildly sophomoric take on international relations.

As the verbose ne’er-do-well Roy O'Bannon, Wilson exuded his stereotypical charm as a foil to Chan's stoic dependability as Chinese Imperial Guard, Chon Wang. Thus far, the comedy series has done well enough with audiences based on the characters and two original scripts created and written by Miles Millar and Alfred Gough, and the latest sequel already has Jared Hess attached to direct. Furthermore, things appear to be moving forward behind the scenes of Shanghai Dawn per official word from Wilson.

In our exclusive interview with Wilson, we set aside a small moment from discussing his work in the forthcoming animated feature Cars 3 to ask how things were shaping up in regards to Shanghai Dawn. Funnily enough, Wilson had reportedly just recently spoken to Chan about getting production on the film up and running - in addition to how his appearances in Shanghai Noon and Shanghai Knights weirdly landed him the role of Lightning McQueen - stating:

"Yeah, there is some talk. Uh, I saw Jackie not too long ago and we were talking about it, but it’s funny that you mention that because Shanghai Noon was the movie, I think, that helped me sorta become involved with Cars because when I met John Lasseter, he and his kids had enjoyed that movie, and he said that he had this animated movie that he thought maybe I’d be good for so that’s, you know, how I ended up getting cast as Lightning McQueen."

Shanghai Noon Owen Wilson Jackie Chan

While things behind the scenes undoubtedly have a ways to go just yet, it's exciting to hear that Wilson and Chan are definitely still thinking about the film some ten-plus years after Shanghai Knights saw theatrical release. And considering the fact that Hess is firmly positioned in the director's chair, with a script being developed and written by returning franchise creators Millar and Gough, perhaps the start of production on Shanghai Dawn isn't too far away.

For those who still hold the original two franchise comedy films in high regard, the long awaited final film in what has been a planned trilogy is sure to be met with certain anticipation. In the mean time, here's to hoping for the very best as things continue to develop behind the scenes of Shanghai Dawn.

Screen Rant will keep you updated with any information related to Shanghai Dawn.