Jackie Chan movie suggests future of Chinese filming

The movie will double Chinese locations for Middle Eastern settings in a story where Chan’s security contractor teams with Cena’s former soldier to rescue Chinese oil workers on a besieged rig, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

“Some Western talent just come in and out when they do a China project, but these guys have a commitment to the culture and industry,” said Chan, in comments reported by the outlet.

“Scott has been living here for months to prepare for the film and John has been learning Mandarin on his own for years, way before we asked him to join our cast.”

Project X will be shot in both English and Mandarin, with the “cross-pollination” of the Chinese and American creative team designed to help successfully export the film internationally.

The global production community will be watching Project X closely as the film’s fate in overseas markets is particularly uncertain.

Historical fantasy The Great Wall is a recent cautionary tale for the industry. The movie was released around the world early last year having been shot in China, in English but with a Chinese director and a cast of US and Chinese actors led by American star Matt Damon.

The film underperformed globally, casting doubt on the future of the cross-cultural production experiment between the US and China.

Earlier this week, American production executive Ellen Eliasoph argued that since the co-production model has failed, the future of big-budget shoots in China will involve international talent working on Chinese features designed primarily for Chinese audiences.

See KFTV's production guide for more on filming in China.

Images: FreeImages.com/Gary Tamin and iStock.com/SeanPavonePhoto