Want the good news or the bad news first? The bad news is that Jet Li has had to pull out of xXx 3 all of a sudden and nobody knows why yet. The good news is that martial arts movie veteran Donnie Yen has taken his place. Believe us, this makes the movie even better.
Vin Diesel revealed via his Facebook page that Donnie Yen had joined production as the film’s main antagonist. If you aren’t familiar, Yen has been a mainstay of Chinese martial arts cinema since the ’80s, starring in a long list of films within the industry. One of his more recent roles, in the Ip Man trilogy, did garner increased Western attention for the actor when the films were added to Netflix.
What’s REALLY exciting about this news is that we might get a Donnie Yen and Tony Jaa fight in xXx 3. Tony Jaa is another big martial arts stalwart of Asian cinema who has been cast as one of the protagonists and bringing a fight between the two to Western audiences is a huge opportunity. With Vin Diesel being the action nerd that he is, this is likely already in motion with the script.
If you’d like to check out Donnie Yen before xXx 3, he’ll be in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, in cinemas this December and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon II: The Green Legend, whose European release date is TBC.
xXx 3: The Return of Xander Cage will release sometime in 2017.
