Jackie Chan to Star in Action-Thriller ‘The Foreigner’ for STX


Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images
June 5, 2015 | 05:16PM PT
Dave McNary
Film Reporter @Variety_DMcNary

STX Entertainment is in final negotiations with Jackie Chan to star in the action thriller “The Foreigner,” with shooting expected to start in October.

Nick Cassavetes is in talks to direct a script based on the Stephen Leather novel “The Chinaman,” which was published in 1992. The story centers on a restaurant owner in London’s Chinatown who is tracking down a group of Irish terrorists responsible for the death of his daughter.

David Marconi wrote the adaptation. His credits include “Enemy of the State” and “Live Free or Die Hard.”

Chan, 61, has acted in more than 150 films since the 1960s and is most famous for his martial arts. He starred in the “Rush Hour” trilogy for New Line.

Cassavetes’ directing credits include “The Other Woman” and “The Notebook.”

STX was launched last year by film producer Robert Simonds and TPG managing partner Bill McGlashan to produce projects in the $10 million to $80 million range — an area largely vacated by the studios in favor of superhero movies. STX aims to release as many as 15 films annually by 2017, and has lined up projects with Matthew McConaughey (“The Free State of Jones”) and Julia Roberts (“The Secret in Their Eyes”).

The company has also lined up financial backing from venture capital firm and co-founder TPG, Chinese private equity firm Hony Capital and investors Gigi Pritzker and Beau Wrigley, along with film financing from China’s Huayi Brothers.

Year-old STX has dated four films: horror-thriller “The Gift,” starring Jason Bateman and Rebecca Hall, on Aug. 7; “The Secret in Their Eyes,” starring Roberts, Nicole Kidman and Chiwetel Ejiofor, on Oct. 23; drama “The Boy,” starring Lauren Cohan (“The Walking Dead”), on Jan. 22; and Civil War drama “The Free State of Jones,” starring McConaughey, on March 11.

Marconi is repped by Bryan Brucks at Luber Roklin.
Jackie really should go back to action comedy next. At 61, he shouldn't bother fighting against typecasting if he's looking for another global hit. The world loves his action comedies.