Shanghai Noon Writer Reveals the Disappointing Reason Why a Third Movie Never Happened

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As a seasoned film critic who’s seen more than a few sequels never come to fruition, I can say with a tinge of sadness and a dash of irony that it’s always a shame when a promising trilogy falls short. The Shanghai series, starring the inimitable Jackie Chan and the charismatic Owen Wilson, was a delightful blend of action, comedy, and cowboy culture.

As a die-hard film enthusiast, I can’t help but reminisce about the fantastic fusion of Western and action that Drew Pearce and Miles Millar created back in 2000 with the movie “Rush Hour”. Featuring martial arts legend Jackie Chan and the hilarious Owen Wilson from “Wedding Crashers”, this film masterfully intertwined action, comedy, martial arts, and cowboys. The sequel, “Shanghai Knights”, released in 2003, continued to thrill audiences. Unfortunately, despite the success of the Shanghai films, a third installment never came to fruition. Recently, Gough has revealed the reason behind this – it was all Jackie Chan’s fault.

We almost pulled it off, but COVID-19 threw a wrench in our plans. I believe it was around 2017 or 2018 when Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson had shown interest in the script. However, at some point, Jackie changed his mind about participating. As far as I know, that’s all there is to it. There was a time approximately six or seven years ago when things started looking promising, but it seemed like the project was starting to take shape. We weren’t writing the script ourselves, we were working with some newer writers who were crafting it based on our story ideas.

As a devoted fan, I can’t help but reminisce about my journey with the dynamic duo, Chon Wang and Roy O’Bannon, in the first film, which saw Tom Dey at the helm. In this adventure, I found myself rooting for the unlikely pair – an Imperial Chinese guard and an American bandit – as they were thrust together in a classic tale of mismatched partners forced to collaborate. The first movie was just the beginning; in the sequel, directed by David Dobkin, our heroes found themselves traversing the streets of London, England. Although Shanghai Knights didn’t receive the same critical acclaim as its predecessor, it certainly held its own at the box office, ultimately leading to the announcement of a third installment, Shanghai Dawn, in 2015.

Despite it not materializing, Gough has finally shared the plot details of what Shanghai Dawn was intended to be…

Shanghai Dawn Would Have Taken the Action to Hollywood

In a chat with Collider, Gough shared that the story of Shanghai Dawn would depict Jackie Chan’s character, Chon Wang, transitioning from being an actor to gaining massive Hollywood success. After being separated for some time, his old partner Roy O’Bannon and he are brought back together again. This happens when the bumbling cowboy finds himself in the hands of Mexican revolutionaries, as Gough puts it…

“The narrative seemed to revolve around Jackie, transitioning into the realm of silent films, reminiscent of the Tom Mix period. They had reached this point in the tale. Meanwhile, Owen found himself in Mexico, possibly among revolutionaries. I can’t recall the specifics, but what stands out is that it was set during the early days of Hollywood’s silent movie era, which we found quite entertaining.

Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson may not team up again, but they continue to shine independently. Owen Wilson is set to headline the upcoming Apple TV+ sports comedy series titled “Rambler & the Birdie Machine”. On the other hand, Jackie Chan is currently in the spotlight, portraying a fictionalized version of himself in “Panda Plan”, and preparing to collaborate with Ralph Macchio from “Cobra Kai” for an upcoming “Karate Kid” film.

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2024-09-29 17:31