Jackie Chan, Stallone to star in thriller ‘Ex-Baghdad’
LOS ANGELES: It’s wushumeets-boxing skills as Jackie Chan and Sylvester Stallone are teamed to star in the thriller “Ex-Baghdad”.
Scott Waugh has contracted to direct the US$ 80 million action fi lm that would become one of the biggest budget fi lms to come out of China.
Chan will serve as a producer through his company SR Media, with Qi Jianhong and Talent International’s Esmond Ren. SR Media and Talent International will also fi nance the fi lm, while Hans Canosa is also producing.
The fi lm is a two-hander that matches up global action stars Chan and Stallone for the fi rst time. When Stallone decided not to continue with “The Expendables”, this was the fi lm he looked forward to doing instead.
When a China-run oil refi nery is attacked in Mosul, Iraq, a Chinese private security contractor (Chan) is called in to extract the oil workers. He learns, however, that the attackers’ real plan is to steal a fortune in oil, and teams up with an American former Marine (Stallone) to stop them. The script is by Arash Amel. Chan is still on a roll when it comes to showbiz.
He is also to appear in “JTeam: All New Jackie Chan Adventures”, a children’s 3D cartoon series featuring a child version of Chan and a team of kid protagonists who defend a magical dreamland against monster invaders.
The 104- episode series cost an estimated US$ 6 million to produce and is set to air on three children’s satellite TV channels and 200 terrestrial channels across China.