Jackie Chan Announces 100th Movie

 

Jackie Chan has celebrated a milestone with the announcement of his 100th movie project — a collaboration with “Rumble in the Bronx” director Stanley Tong.

The 55-year-old “Rush Hour” star said on his Web site he will co-direct the film tentatively called “Chinese Zodiac” with Tong, with shooting to take place in China, Austria and France. The brief statement seen Wednesday did not give further details.

Tong, whose credits include the TV series “Martial Law” and the comedy movie “Mr. Magoo,” directed Chan in the 1995 action film “Rumble in the Bronx” and the 2005 fantasy “The Myth.”

Chan’s main spokesman, Solon So, said Chan will invest in the movie with his frequent partner, Hong Kong-based Emperor Motion Pictures. He declined to reveal the plot or budget.

Chan’s most recent release was the Chinese-language gangster thriller “Shinjuku Incident,” in which he plays a Chinese immigrant who becomes a hit man for the Japanese mafia. His upcoming films are the Hollywood action comedy “The Spy Next Door,” about an undercover Chinese spy whose cover is blown, and another Chinese production, “Big Soldier,” reportedly about the friendship between two soldiers set in China’s ancient Qin dynasty.

The veteran action star has also been in talks to star as the Mr. Miyagi character in a remake of “The Karate Kid,” the 1984 film about a mentor who teaches a youngster how to stand up to bullies.

Chan recently caused an uproar by saying at a business forum that freedom may not be a good thing for authoritarian mainland China. Critics called his comments an insult to the Chinese people.

So said afterward that Chan’s comments were taken out of context and that the actor was referring to freedom in the entertainment industry and not Chinese society at large.

4/29/2009 3:30 AM MIN LEE AP Entertainment Writer HONG KONG