Starring in "Blaze of the Guardians"
Directed by Yuen Woo-ping, creator of "Drunken Master"
Action star Jet Li, who led the box office success of Chinese martial arts films such as "Once Upon a Time in China," is returning to his main field, the martial arts genre, after 14 years.
On May 23, Chinese media outlets including Jimu News reported that Jet Li has starred in the new film "Blaze of the Guardians" (Pyo-in: Fungidae-mak), directed by world-renowned martial arts choreographer Yuen Woo-ping.
Action star Jet Li, who led the box office success of Chinese martial arts films, is returning to the martial arts genre after 14 years.
The film recently completed principal photography with Hong Kong top star Nicholas Tse. It is known that many of the scenes set against a desert backdrop were filmed in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China.
This marks Jet Li's first leading role in a martial arts film in 14 years since "Flying Swords of Dragon Gate," which was released in 2011. Born in 1963 and now 62 years old, Jet Li made his film debut with "Shaolin Temple" in 1982. He went on to establish himself as an action star, leading the global success of martial arts films with titles such as "Once Upon a Time in China," "Swordsman II," "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber," and "Hero."
However, after being diagnosed with hyperthyroidism in 2010, his activities sharply declined due to health issues. In particular, he suffered injuries to his spine and legs from strenuous movements during filming, which led him to step back from action roles. Since then, he has appeared only in supporting roles in Hollywood films such as "The Expendables" and "Mulan."
Born in Beijing, he acquired Singaporean citizenship in 2009 for his children's education. He relocated to Singapore and established the office for the charity foundation he and his wife founded in Singapore as well. When Jet Li, who introduced Shaolin martial arts to the world, gave up his Chinese citizenship, there was considerable disappointment in China. Afterwards, he disappeared from Chinese cinema, leading to rumors that he had become a target of the "Red Rectification Movement." There were even subsequent rumors of his death.
The director of this film, Yuen Woo-ping, is famous as the martial arts choreographer behind global hits such as "Drunken Master," "The Matrix," "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," and "Kill Bill."
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