Marvel Star Looking to Adapt Sleeping Dogs Movie

The dream for a Sleeping Dogs movie adaptation is far from over. News regarding the live-action film adaptation with Donnie Yen as the main protagonist Wei Shen has been stalled since its announcement in 2017. While there was some motion within the last few months of 2024, Yen confirmed that the project was no longer in the works. As many were looking forward to seeing the Rogue One: A Star Wars Story actor taking it to the streets of Hong Kong, one Marvel superhero is rising to the occasion to bring this Square Enix game alive.

In a social media post, Shang Chi actor Simu Liu took to X to follow up on a promise he’s been making in regards to the action-adventure game. In response to a fan asking about Sleeping Dogs, Liu replied, “Working with the rights holders to bring Sleeping Dogs to the big screen!” In previous years, the Barbie star has expressed his interest in bringing Shen to the big screen, with the rumblings starring in 2022 during an appearance at San Diego Comic-Con.

“I’m probably not supposed to say anything,” Liu said at the time. “We’re just super jumping the gun on it. But there’s a video game out there that features a, shall we say, Asian-American protagonist that takes place in Hong Kong. That I might be working – I don’t know – I don’t know. I’m not gonna say the name because I didn’t want it to be – I don’t want to jump the gun on it. But it’s something I’m really excited to be diving in on.”

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Liu was initially rumored to be attached to Yen’s project, but it seems that the Shang-Chi actor will be taking on the reigns of the project himself. While it was said that Yen has spent years waiting for the project to come to fruition, we can remain hopeful that Liu will honor the task at hand and wake up the Sleeping Dogs hype that has been lying dormant for years. It’s also nice to know that Liu himself is an avid gamer, having expressed his love for StarCraft, Mortal Kombat, and Diablo, and has experience with action-packed stunts, so we are in for a real treat if he obtains the rights.

The live-action Sleeping Dogs movie has no release date or studio at the moment.