ROTTEN TOMATOES: Peter Jackson to Direct Jet Li/Jackie Chan Pic? Comments

Peter Jackson to Direct Jet Li/Jackie Chan Pic?

by Jen Yamato | August 14, 2006

Summary

As if the thought of Jet Li and Jackie Chan starring in a film together isn't enough to get us excited, rumor has it that the pic might be helmed by one of the biggest directors around. How big? Peter Jackson big! Back to Article

(21-40 of 41 posts) | Reply

The Senhman writes:
on Aug 15 2006 12:57 AM

In reply to this comment (#842112)
Yeah, like the article said, it's just a rumor. But it's not completely out of line, especially since Steven Spielberg had recently expressed interest in adapting the same source material.

(Reply to this)

inessalenin writes:
on Aug 15 2006 02:01 AM

In my opinion, it's a ridiculous missions!

(Reply to this)

The Paki Don writes:
on Aug 15 2006 02:50 AM

I guess it all comes down to... Who Would Jesus Want To Direct ?
And the answer is... Paul W. S. Anderson.

(Reply to this)

Thundaar writes:
on Aug 15 2006 05:54 AM

Monkey King? So it is Jackie Chan vs. King Kong?

(Reply to this)

eastern2western writes:
on Aug 15 2006 07:26 AM

[b]the only thing I care about[/b]
If the rumor has any truth in it, I care more about what the production team is going to made up of than anything else. Stars are nothing without their behind-the-scene workers. Both Li and Chan made their best movies Hong Kong because they were working with the best production team the Chinese movie industry could offer. Once they transfer to America, both actors made their worst films in their career because they were working with novice actors, 2nd rate production team and foreign environments.
Yes, it is true that Peter Jackson is probably god comparing to the directors both actors had to work with, but he is just not right for the job. However, if he knows a lot about journey to the west and assembles a good production, then there is a chance that he might make one good movie.
One final note, NBC broadcasted a white-boy version of Journey to the west several years and it was titled the Lost Kindom. You guys can dig it up if you want. I remeber the main star is the actor who played will in will and grace. I saw part of the show when it was aired and I almost threw up because it was beyond bad. How bad was it? Part of the story involves the female Goddess Guan Yi falls in love with the white boy and does karate kicks on some monsters. You will know exactly what I am talking about when you get a chance to check it out. The one great thing about the production is the special effects because they are much better than anything the chinese entertainment industry could produce. Everything else is vomit inducing.

(Reply to this)

jeremyd4 writes:
on Aug 15 2006 08:25 AM

Peter Jackson is a New Zealander not an Australian.... Just thought I'd point that out.

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The Paki Don writes:
on Aug 15 2006 08:47 AM

In reply to this comment (#842119)
You're referring to Thomas Gibson (Greg) from "Dharma & Greg", not Eric McCormack (Will) from "Will & Grace". And it was called "The Lost Empire" and was aired on Hallmark.

(Reply to this)

Reeven writes:
on Aug 15 2006 09:00 AM

I'm not a Jackie Chan fan. Give me Jet Li and Tony Jaa and Peter Jackson and I'll cream myself.

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Master King Sexington writes:
on Aug 15 2006 10:41 AM

In reply to this comment (#842120)
Damn, you beat me to it. He was all like "I know for sure and I almost replied right then and there but I thought to check first. Oh, and the guy that said Jet Li and Tony Jaa, yeah, that'd be cooler. Wayyy cooler.

(Reply to this)

Simple Minded writes:
on Aug 15 2006 12:42 PM

In reply to this comment (#842098)
Lucas didn't direct all 3...

(Reply to this)

Boss Fan writes:
on Aug 15 2006 01:05 PM

In reply to this comment (#842114)
Can I name any action stars that are still as much of draw in their home country as Chan?! Um, how bout here: Clint Eastwood, Harrison Ford, Bruce Willis, Denzel Washington, Will Smith and I'd even argue still Schwarzenegger and Stallone. And don't give me, 'they aren't always in action movies.' They are action-film oriented superstars whose name alone translates into box office dollars 30+ years into their career. And any of them (even Schwaz and Sly) do bigger box office than your average Jackie Chan movie. Chan's only true blockbuster hit in this counrty is the Rush Hour franchise which is probably more due to Chris Tucker, or the combo of the two, than Chan's name alone. If he were such a huge star his name alone would make all his films hits. It doesn't and they aren't

(Reply to this)

Master King Sexington writes:
on Aug 15 2006 01:40 PM

In reply to this comment (#842125)
The Shanghai series (noon, knights) seem to have done alright

(Reply to this)

The Senhman writes:
on Aug 15 2006 03:20 PM

In reply to this comment (#842125)
You missed my point. Jackie Chan was breaking box office records in HK (and other parts of Asia) for two decades - two decades as the #1 draw at the box office. None of the actors you've mentioned here was even close to that. Did Clint Eastwood ever had a record-breaking movie at the box office? They were hits and blockbusters, but not record-breaking. Harrison Ford had Star Wars and Indiana Jones, but the rest again were hits and not record-breaking blockbusters. Denzel Washington, Schwarzenegger, and Stallone all had hits, but none were record-breaking. Will Smith's career is still relatively young compared to Jackie's; still, ID4 was his biggest hit, and like the majority of the actors you mentioned here, has hits and blockbusters.

If you look at the top 25 highest grossing films of all-time in HK (and neighboring territories), a big chunk of them are Jackie Chan films. If you look at the top 25 films in the US, the guys you mentioned might have a couple, but none of them completely dominates the list. And here's the thing - even if you combine all of their filmographies, they would still come up short when compared with Chan's.

Again, I understand your point about the limited careers of action stars, but you just picked on the wrong guy (Jackie Chan) to use as an example.

(Speaking of Sly, the guy hasn't had a hit since 1993's Cliffhanger. And Arnold, with the exception of T3, the guy's last hit was 1996's Eraser.)

(Reply to this)

The Senhman writes:
on Aug 15 2006 03:35 PM

In reply to this comment (#842126)
Yeah, they did modestly well. Even The Tuxedo made about $50M.

(Reply to this)

Boss Fan writes:
on Aug 15 2006 03:47 PM

In reply to this comment (#842127)
I think you're missing my point, which is two-fold: a) plenty of other countries have top action stars, as well as stars that are always consistant every time the release a film; and b) regardless of his standing in HK, Chan is not an automatic box office draw here or around the world. Yes, all the stars I mentioned have had their flops, but generally they sell more tickets than your average Chan flick. Also, a HK box-office hit is a far different thing than a Hollywood blockbuster, so I'd be willing to argue that, say, a Clint Eastwood or Bruce Willis hit here, is a bigger money maker than a Chan "blockbuster" in any other country. The Hollywood movie making machine is a much different one than the HK movie industry, or any other country really. Hollywood doersn't allow any one actor to truely dominate. Chan may be able do that in HK, but he can't - nor acan anyone reall - do that here. But I think the guys I mentioned came as close as anyone could in that they are, not only icons, but still a box office draw. In this country that is the only way you really can dominate as an actor. There oare others of course, but we were talking about male action stars.

(Reply to this)

The Senhman writes:
on Aug 15 2006 04:04 PM

In reply to this comment (#842129)
Yeah, I agree that the Hollywood system is quite different from the HK system and the guys you've mentioned has had long careers, but it's still, nonetheless, impressive for a person to completely dominate their home territory for that duration? No?

Jackie Chan is actually still one of the biggest draws in Asia. In the US, I agree that he's had his hits and misses.

(Reply to this)

Boss Fan writes:
on Aug 15 2006 04:51 PM

In reply to this comment (#842130)
Agreed :)

(Reply to this)

nogard64 writes:
on Aug 15 2006 06:45 PM

In reply to this comment (#842111)
um too bad we're not talking about adaptations, this movie will be as asian as the terriaki rice bowl I just ate, will westerns accept it?

(Reply to this)

alvai writes:
on Aug 18 2006 02:54 AM

Jet Li is bigger than Jackie Chan in Asia now.

(Reply to this)

Substance writes:
on Aug 19 2006 07:05 PM

[b]Dragon Ball Z[/b]
You guys do know that Dragon Ball Z was based off of "Journey to the West". This movie has the potential to be something awesome...with monsters and dragons and awesome king-fu. If you remember, Goku does have a monkey tail.

(Reply to this)

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