Jackie Chan may not be as regular a presence in Hollywood as he was a decade or so ago, but the 66 year-old action legend continues to be one of Chinese cinema’s most popular stars and biggest box office draws, with four movies currently in post-production and set for release by the end of 2021.
Having put his body through the wringer for decades in the name of our entertainment and suffering a laundry list of injuries that would put any actor in their prime off the idea of doing their own stunts never mind someone that’s pushing 70, nobody would begrudge Chan if he were to take a step back and focus on smaller, more intimate projects at this stage in his career.
However, that’s obviously not going to be the case, and this new trailer for Vanguard promises a globetrotting action blockbuster that sees the Rush Hour star doing what he does best, in what looks like a very expensive movie packed with impressive visual effects and no shortage of the intricate stunt work that’s been Chan’s stock in trade since the 1970s.
Vanguard was originally scheduled to hit Chinese theaters in January, but was delayed due to the onset of the Coronavirus pandemic, and while it won’t arrive Stateside until the end of next month, it did finally land on the big screen overseas in September. Unfortunately, though, it performed poorly after only managing to earn $37 million in two weeks, making it one of Chan’s worst local releases in quite some time and leading to serious questions surrounding his continued viability as a reliable draw, especially when he’s also one of the country’s highest-paid actors.