This week, Marvel Cinematic Universe star Simu Liu thrilled fans of the video game Sleeping Dogs with a tweet announcing his collaboration with the rights holders to adapt the beloved game into a feature film. However, it appears that the project is further along than initially suggested. A source close to the project revealed to IGN that a Sleeping Dogs movie is indeed in development, with Liu not only producing but also set to star as the lead character, Wei Shen. IGN has reached out to Square Enix for further comment on this exciting development.
Originally released in 2012 for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC, Sleeping Dogs follows the gripping tale of detective Wei Shen as he infiltrates a notorious Triad crime syndicate in Hong Kong. Although the game did not meet the high sales targets set by publisher Square Enix, it has garnered a dedicated fanbase eager for a sequel. Despite these hopes, the original movie adaptation announced in 2017 with Donnie Yen slated to star fizzled out a year later. Yen recently confirmed to Polygon that the project had been abandoned after years of effort and personal investment on his part.
Liu's tweet sparked some confusion among fans, prompting him to clarify his intentions. He expressed frustration with pitching to executives who don't fully grasp the essence of the game, but emphasized that the overwhelming fan support for Sleeping Dogs has rekindled the project's momentum. Liu's ultimate vision is ambitious: first, a movie adaptation, followed by a sequel to the original game.
IGN has learned that Story Kitchen, known for its successful video game adaptations such as the Sonic the Hedgehog films and Netflix's animated Tomb Raider series, is spearheading the Sleeping Dogs live-action film. Currently, Story Kitchen is also working on adaptations of Streets of Rage and It Takes Two for Amazon. Last year, they announced a film adaptation of Square Enix's Just Cause, directed by Ángel Manuel Soto of Blue Beetle fame. While the Sleeping Dogs project has a writer and a major filmmaker attached, there is no release date or start of production announced yet.
This movie represents a significant revival for Sleeping Dogs, a franchise that saw its sequel canceled in late 2013 and its developer, United Front Games, shut down in 2016. Now, more than a decade after its initial release, Sleeping Dogs may finally be poised for a cinematic awakening.
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