Soon after the one-two punch of Shanghai Noon and middling sequel Shanghai Knights in 2000 and 2003, respectively, talk of a third entry into MGM’s cult action series faded and faded fast – that is, until now.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the studio is firmly committed to getting the long-in-development threequel back on track, courting both Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson to saddle up for another crowd-pleasing blend of Western and kung fu action. It’s still early days, of course, but we now understand Napoleon Dynamite helmer Jared Hess has agreed to terms to direct the Shanghai Noon sequel, which is currently tethered with the title Shanghai Dawn over at MGM.
Hess knows a thing or two about prolonged production cycles, too, after guiding Masterminds to the finish line, only to have the crime caper delayed by a full year as a result of Relativity’s financial woes. As for Shanghai Dawn, MGM has ensured the old guard is back behind the scenes, with original scribes Miles Millar and Alfred Gough back to pen the threequel.
Shanghai Dawn is officially a go over at MGM, with Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson all but set to emerge blinking into the sunlight for more genre-blending shenanigans. It’s been an awful long time since moviegoers clocked eyes on the Shanghai Noon duo sharing the big screen, though, and the jury’s still out on whether the cult series still holds some cache even in 2016. We’ll be keeping track of this one as it inches toward production, but what are your initial impressions – yay or nay?
