“You know what would translate to the screen really well? A video game.” That seems to be the continual and undying sales pitch of Hollywood executives and producers, taking the most rudimentary elements of a video game’s premise and tossing them up in a miasma of bombast and incoherence. But hey, maybe the next one will get it right. This is the hope for Sleeping Dogs, which Deadline reports is now getting the video-game-to-film treatment.
The first step is a good one, as Donnie Yen is confirmed to play the lead, portraying an undercover cop whose been tasked with taking down the notorious Triads, one of the most dangerous criminal organizations in the world. The game’s central mechanics revolve around shooting, driving, boating and really all forms of mobility with a firearm in hand. Coming from producer Neal Moritz, who is behind the Fast and Furious franchise, we can expect a fairly substantial budget for this project, coupled with the fact of Yen’s popularity both in China with Ip Man, Flash Point, and more, as well as newfound worldwide appeal with his role in Rogue One.
As we await the announcement of a writer and director, check out a video of the action star’s best fight scenes, as well as a live-action launch trailer for the Sleeping Dogs videogame.