Jackie Chan to shoot new film in Dubai
DUBAI: Multi-hyphenated actor Jackie Chan is poised to return to Dubai to film one of his latest movies with director Stanley Tong this month.
According to Jamal Al Sharif, chairman of Dubai Film and TV Commission, “megastar Jackie Chan is retuning to film in Dubai for the second time after his smash-hit Kung Fu Yoga! The new film is titled Vanguard and is directed by Stanley Tong.”
This time, the action- comedy pair shall also be filming the movie in London, Taiwan and India.
At the moment, details of the film are fairly sparse, but it’s known that it will deal with an international security company which is hired to protect a Chinese businessman and his daughter from a shadowy terrorist group.
Teen heartthrob Yang Yang and actress/model Miya Muqi are among Jackie’s co- stars, while Sparkle Roll Media, who also co- produced Kung Fu Yoga, are once again the production company.
When Jackie and Tong were previously in Dubai, onlookers were thrilled to see the cast racing supercars around Downtown, while guests at Atlantis, The Palm, were surprised to get out of the lift to see legions of duelling martial artists blocking their route to reception.
There’s no word on specific locations for the upcoming shoot in Dubai as of yet, but hosts have been given information that it will be on a similar scale to Kung Fu Yoga and will, like that film, offer opportunities to a
Megastar Jackie Chan is retuning to film in Dubai for the second time after his smash-hit Kung Fu Yoga! The new film is titled Vanguard and is directed by Stanley Tong. Jamal Al Sharif, chairman of Dubai Film and TV Commission
significant number of local crew and would-be cast members.
Dubai-based Alkatraz Productions, which handled local production on Kung Fu Yoga, had been reached for comments, but no details could be provided at this juncture.
Next week looks set to be a busy one in the UAE’s film and TV calendar, with Pierce Brosnan’s The Misfits also shooting in Abu Dhabi at the moment. And while the combination may not be on quite the same stellar level as when Star Wars: The Force Awakens and FF7 both filmed in Abu Dhabi in 2015 ( Kung Fu Yoga itself shot simultaneously in Dubai with Star Trek Beyond), it seems a sure sign that the local industry is in fine health going into 2019.
According to Sharif, the film will be shot in and around Downtown Dubai, City Walk and other prominent locations and residential areas with support from Dubai Film and TV Commission.
“I would like to thank all those in the government and private sector that supported Kung Fu Yoga and will extend their support to the upcoming film,” Sharif was quoted by local newspaper Gulf News as saying.
Kung Fu Yoga, an India- China co-production, marked Jackie’s first film shot in Dubai and the Middle East, when it was produced in September- October 2015.
The film used Dubai locales such as the Atlantis, the Palm, Jumeirah Lake Towers, Shaikh Zayed Road, Dubai Marina, Business Bay and the open desert.