Word has it that Renny Harlin, the man behind the camera for this year's The Legend of Hercules, is in talks to direct Skiptrace. Sam Fell (ParaNorman) was previously set to make his live-action debut on the film, but has exited the picture. The English language action-comedy stems from an original idea from star Jackie Chan, and centers on a good cop (Chan) whose niece (Fan Bingbing) runs afoul of a criminal syndicate, and catches the unwanted attention of its boss. The cop, who has been after the head honcho for over a decade, must track down the one man who can help save his niece: a fast-talking American gambler (Seann William Scott) who he brings to Hong Kong. Production is scheduled to begin this August. Hit the jump for full details.
News of Harlin directing Skiptrace comes via the following press release:
RENNY HARLIN TO DIRECT ACTION COMEDY "SKIPTRACE"STARRING JACKIE CHAN AND SEANN WILLIAM SCOTT
BLOOM to Handle International Sales with Production Set to Begin this August
Los Angeles/Cannes, May 21, 2014: BLOOM announced Renny Harlin (The Legend of Hercules, Die Hard 2) will direct action buddy comedy SKIPTRACE which will commence production on August 11, 2014. Starring Jackie Chan (Rush Hour, The Karate Kid), Seann William Scott (American Pie, Role Models) and Fan Bingbing (Iron Man 3), SKIPTRACE is written by Jay Longino with revisions by Brian Gatewood & Alessandro Tanaka and Geoff Moore & David Posmentier and BenDavid Grabinski. Talent International and Dasym Entertainment will produce along with Jackie Chan, Esmond Ren, Charlie Coker, Damien Saccani and David Gerson. The film is financed by Talent International and Dasym Entertainment (a subsidiary of Dasym Investment Strategies B.V., Exclusive Media’s parent company). Alex Walton and Ken Kao’s newly launched BLOOM will handle international sales on the film.
SKIPTRACE follows a Hong Kong detective Bennie Black (Chan), who has been tracking a dangerous crime boss, Victor Wong, for over a decade. When Bennie’s beautiful young niece Bai (Fan Bingbing) gets into trouble with Wong’s crime syndicate, he comes to the rescue and must track down the only man who can help her – a fast-talking American gambler named Connor Watts (Scott) who is also on the run from the mob. The unlikely pair embarks on a hilarious adventure from the wind swept dunes of the Gobi Desert to the rocky spires of the Huangshan Mountains.
“Jackie Chan’s international presence is unparalleled, and we’re thrilled that Renny Harlin has come on board to direct this exhilarating and hilarious project,” says BLOOM’s Alex Walton. “Having Jackie, Renny and Seann involved will bring this wild script to life with the perfect blend of action and comedy.”
Jackie Chan and Fan BingBing are represented by WME. Renny Harlin is represented by UTA.