Jackie Chan, Donnie Yen to rumble in Ip Man 4

HONG KONG: Talk about the epic martial arts duel.

Jackie Chan is set to rumble against Donnie Yen in Ip Man 4.

Donnie is probably seeking some real competition after the letdown of a duel against former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson in Ip Man 3 — where moviegoers were actually expecting Tyson to chew off his ear.

In Ip Man 4, Bruce Lee arrives in the United States to open his own martial arts school.

However, he offends locals and Ip Man appears in Chinatown to help him win over his adversaries.

Directed by Wilson Yip, the movie will welcome British actor Scott Akins, Taiwanese star Vanness Wu, and — as mentioned — a cameo appearance by Jackie Chan.

For Jackie, it’s a role he relishes.

He had started out in showbiz as a stuntman and worked on two of Bruce Lee’s films – Fist of Fury (1972), in which he also had a tiny role as a Japanese martial arts student, and Enter the Dragon (1973).

In those early days of his career, Jackie was often the sparring partner for martial arts stars like Bruce Lee. He was the fall guy.

Jackie can still recall how he had respected Bruce Lee for his amazing fighting skills. Naturally, he was thrilled when Bruce took time to converse with him.

Admitted Jackie in an interview in 1997: “He influenced me a lot,. I admired him, and the way he would talk. He could even speak English. Everyone thought he was a god.”