Action movie icon Jackie Chanreturns to the family-friendly action comedy in Panda Plan, and the first trailer for the movie, which finds Chan playing a fictionalized version of himself, has now been released. The action outing finds the 70-year-old martial arts maestro poking some fun at himself and his legacy when his skills as an action movie star are needed to save a rare baby panda. You can check out the newly released trailer for Panda Plan below.
Directed by Zhang Luan (Song of Youth, Give Me Five) and produced by Mandarin Motion Pictures and Wishart Media Co., Panda Plan (Xiong Mao Ji Hua) finds Jackie Chan leading an action comedy once again. The martial arts legend has become renowned for his work in the genre thanks to the likes of Drunken Master, Mr. Nice Guy, Police Story, the Rush Hour series, and many more, and it’s great to see him still delivering pitch-perfect physical comedy while throwing punches.
Panda Plan stars the likes of Shi Ce (Hi, Mom), Wei Xiang (Full River Red), Han Yanbo (The Super Family), and Andy Friend (The Wandering Earth 2) alongside Chan. As well as the trailer, you can check out the synopsis for the action comedy below.
“When a Middle Eastern tycoon dispatches mercenaries to snatch baby pandas from the zoo, iconic action star Chan – playing a version of himself – becomes involved to protect the animals at the wildlife park.”
Panda Plan
has not yet been given a U.S. release, but will debut in China on October 1, 2024.
Jackie Chan Returning to Two of His Most Successful Franchises
Jackie Chan will return to one of his biggest franchises later this year, reprising the role of Mr. Han alongside Ralph Macchio as Daniel LaRusso in the upcoming Karate Kid sequel. After much speculation, it has now been revealed that the upcoming Karate Kid movie will star both Macchio and Chan, thus bringing together the two separate franchises.
Macchio will return as The Karate Kid and Cobra Kai lead Daniel LaRusso, with Chan reprising the role of Mr. Han from the 2010 Jaden Smith-led The Karate Kid. While the plot itself remains largely under wraps, reports have claimed that “the latest iteration will bring the story to the East Coast and focus on a teen from China who finds strength and direction via martial arts and a tough but wise mentor.” The teen in question will be played by American Born Chinese star Ben Wang, who was chosen following an extensive search. Directed by Jonathan Entwistle from a script written by Rob Lieber, Karate Kid is scheduled to be released on December 13, 2024.
Alongside Karate Kid, Chan could also soon reunite with Chris Tucker for the long-awaited Rush Hour 4. A recent report from THR revealed that Lionsgate is very interested in bringing the buddy cop franchise back for more, but are deeply concerned about potentially having to work with director Brett Ratner after the filmmaker was accused of sexual misconduct and harassment back in 2017.
