The world of John Wick has been expanding as of late, with spinoff movies and shows having been produced over the past few years. One of the offshoots fans of the franchise have really been eager to see is Caine, which centers around Donnie Yen’s titular character. Yen’s flick was announced back in 2025 and, fast forward to this week, the movie has now reached a major milestone. Caine has officially wrapped, and we can thank Yen for sharing the moment principal photography was finished.

Donnie Yen has expressed a lot of enthusiasm when it comes to bringing his Wick character back to the big screen. So it shouldn’t have been too surprising when he took to Instagram to celebrate the end of filming on Caine. The revered actor, director and martial artist shared a photo of a production clapboard and, in his caption, he shared the words, “that’s a wrap” and tagged his various collaborators. Check out the post, which can be seen down below:

The fact that this Wick spinoff is now officially wrapped makes the prospect of it hitting theaters feel all the more real. Yen, for his part, has used social media to signify the conclusion of a film shoot before. Back in 2021, he celebrated wrapping on John Wick: Chapter 4 by sharing a video filled with sweet behind-the-scenes moments, including his and co-star Keanu Reeves’ goodbye. I love the sheer amount of passion Yen seems to have about his work, and I’d argue it’s one of the reasons why this new movie is happening.

It was reported back in 2023 that Lionsgate was looking to build upon the John Wick franchise with spinoffs, with Donnie Yen throwing his hat in the ring to reprise his character. By 2024, it seemed certain that a Caine-centered film would be made and, as previously mentioned, the official announcement came the following year. And not only is Yen starring in it, but he’s also directing it from a story he conceived with franchise OG Chad Stahelski. The actual screenplay was penned by Robert Askins and Mattson Tomlin.

For those who need a refresher, Caine was introduced in Chapter 4 as an old friend of John’s, though he finds himself in a tough situation when he’s hired to kill Wick for the sake of his daughter’s safety. The blind High Table assassin more than proves himself to be a formidable combatant, and it’s not hard to understand why Yen, Stahelski and co. would want to put him at the center of his own movie. However, I’d like to think the Ip Man icon didn’t jump into this new opportunity lightly.

Something Yen has been quite vocal about is the presence of Asian stereotypes in media and how he himself has come across them when taking on roles. Considering the thoughts he’s shared, I would imagine that his upcoming film will avoid cultural clichés. And, if that’s the case, audiences could be in for a film that’s not only action-packed but also nuanced when it comes to handling its main character or any others in his orbit.

As John Wick spinoffs continue to be made, it’s my hope that the creative team will maintain the essence of the franchise while also charting out fresh territory that makes sense for this fictional world. I’m hopeful that Donnie Yen and co. will do that with their movie, and I’m eager to see what the finished result will look like on the big screen.

Lionsgate has yet to announce a release date for Caine, but let’s hope it finds a spot somewhere on the 2027 movie schedule. In the meantime, grab an HBO Max subscription and stream John Wick: Chapter 4.

It might be hard to believe, but it’s been 10 years since the best Star Wars movie (in my humble opinion), Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, came out. In those years, there STILL hasn’t been a cooler character than Donnie Yen’s warrior monk, Chirrut Imwe, in the Star Wars universe.

I mean, yes, you COULD argue (if you want to) that The Mandalorian, which is getting a new movie pretty soon, is a cooler character, but I beg to differ. Chirrut Imwe is just so badass, it makes me want to cry. And, I’m talking Highlander levels of badassness. So, here are just a few reasons why Chirrut Imwe is still the coolest Star Wars character in recent years.

For One Thing, He’s Blind Like Zatoichi And Can Still Kick Everybody’s Ass

Do you like samurai movies? If you answered yes, then you’ve just got to love the blind swordsman, Zatoichi. There have been several different movies and spin-offs based on the character (Including an American version starring Rutger Hauer called Blind Fury), and the concept of a blind swordsman just never gets old.

In that way, how could you not love Chirrut Imwe? While he doesn’t have a sword, he does carry around a Uneti-wood staff and a lightbow, and he uses them with aplomb. Instead of being able to see where the attacks are coming from, he pricks up his ears and listens for them.

This makes him the most memorable character in a line of memorable characters, and it’s no wonder that Donnie Yen plays another blind character in the John Wick series. He’s just too good!

He Also Doesn’t Have The Force, But He Is One With It

This might sound weird, but one thing I hate about Star Wars is the Jedi. I really just hate everything about them (Especially if they have “Skywalker” in their name). This might make you think that I don’t like Star Wars at all, but that couldn’t be further from the truth, since I like everything AROUND the Jedi, and that’s including the force.

Now, the force is cool because you could probably substitute it for any religion. And, what I love about Rogue One (And Andor, you know I love me some Andor) is that it grounds Star Wars. I like this because I don’t actually WANT to see people swinging around lightsabers, or using some form of telekinesis to push stormtroopers over. What I much prefer is the IMPLIED higher power, which we get in Rogue One.

While Chirrut Imwe can’t use the force, he is one with it. He says so himself on many occasions, and that’s just plain cool. In that way, I love the concept of somebody who feels the force, as he has faith, which I think is more compelling than actually seeing the “magic” itself.

Plus, Besides The Darth Vader Moment, He Has The Coolest Scene In The Entire Film

Ask pretty much anybody, and they’ll tell you that the most memorable scene in Rogue One is the incredible Darth Vader scene, and look, I’m not going to argue with those people. Even as somebody who isn’t into anybody with Skywalker in their name, even I have to admit that that’s the coolest scene in the movie. Darth Vader has always been intimidating, but never has he been this scary, and so I won’t take anything from him.

That said, if there’s a second coolest moment in the movie, it’s when Chirrut Imwe walks amongst explosions with complete calmness as he repeatedly utters how he’s one with the force, and that the force is with him. As I just mentioned, the idea of the force being a form of faith comes into full showcase here as he sacrifices himself to get the plans that would ultimately blow up the Death Star.

It’s my favorite moment in all of Star Wars, which ultimately solidifies Chirrut Imwe as the coolest Star Wars character in recent memory.

The John Wick franchise has been incredibly successful, so it’s not exactly a shock that there are multiple films in development. Later this year, we’ll see the Ana de Armas-led Ballerina, and the next couple of years promise a Donnie Yen-starring Caine spinoff and an animated John Wick prequel. However, one movie that has the potential to be the biggest of them all is also potentially the most difficult to make, John Wick: Chapter 5.

A new John Wick film starring Keanu Reeves is certainly the thing that fans are going to want. However, considering that John Wick: Chapter 4 seemingly wrapped up the story quite nicely, one wonders how a new movie will even work. Director and franchise producer Chad Stahelski admits to Empire that the last movie ended the previous story, so he says the only way to make Chapter 5 is to tell a new story. He explained…

The ending of John Wick: Chapter 4 gave us John Wick’s apparent death. And while the death of John Wick was ambiguous enough that discovering he’s alive won’t require a great deal of work, the bigger issue is that Wick’s larger goal (getting out from under the High Table) was accomplished. As such, there isn’t an obvious place for John Wick: Chapter 5 to continue the story.

The decision to tell some sort of brand-new story feels like the right one. At the end of the day, as long as it has the action we’ve come to expect, those moments that, in the words of Chad Stahelski, make the audience say “Holy crap,” fans will be happy.

Of course, the thing that might truly determine the success of John Wick: Chapter 5 is how it starts. The circumstances that brought John Wick out of retirement became an iconic element in the whole series. Whatever it is that brings John Wick back from the dead is going to have to be at least as powerful to get the audience invested.

The change in focus certainly doesn’t mean that the elements of the John Wick universe, like the Continental Hotel, won’t play their part. One assumes that since Wick successfully freed himself from the High Table, they shouldn’t mind that he’s not actually dead. In fact, a new direction could lead to the creation of more elements of this universe that we haven’t seen before, which could open the doors to even more exciting material.

As somebody who loves the John Wick franchise so much, I recently checked out the John Wick Experience in Las Vegas, I will be looking forward to seeing John Wick: Chapter 5 whenever we get that chance.

John Wick: Chapter 4 seemed designed to be the end of the story of Keanu Reeves’ killer of assassins but this week we received conformation that’s not the case. Not only is John Wick: Chapter 5 in development, but the World of John Wick is growing even more, with three other John Wick projects currently on the way. The most exciting of them all may be the new film, Caine, starring Donnie Yen, and he is certainly excited for it.

In addition to Ballerina staring Ana de Armas being on the 2025 movie schedule and John Wick: Chapter 5 in its early stages, we’re set to get an animated John Wick from Ultraman: Rising director Shanon Tindle and an additional spinoff starring Donnie Yen’s Caine, who was introduced in John Wick: Chapter 4. Not only will Yen star in the movie, he will also direct it. And Yen responded to the news on Instagram in a simple way that, as a fan, has me seriously pumped up. He said simply…

As a fan of the entire John Wick franchise, and of Donnie Yen specifically, I am also ready, and can’t wait to see this new movie when it arrives. Donnie Yen has always been one of the great martial artists in film history and seeing more of his work, done in the John Wick style, and under his own direction, adds up to what could be an absolutely incredible action movie.

Of course, Donnie Yen’s comment on Instagram also raises some important questions, because, why is Donnie Yen telling John Wick that he is ready? The new Caine movie will be set following the events of John Wick: Chapter 4, the story in which John Wick apparently died. We know that, if a fifth movie is happening, John Wick won’t stay dead. Could this mean that, like Ballerina, John Wick might make an appearance in Caine?

It’s certainly a possibility. What we initially thought was only going to be a Keanu Reeves’ cameo in the John Wick spinoff Ballerina now looks to be a bit more than a simple cameo, as Wick will be called in to stop the titular Ballerina played by Ana de Armas. It wouldn’t be that surprising if some reason is given for Wick and Caine to cross paths again.

Of course, Ballerina is set prior to John Wick’s “death” so an appearance by Keanu Reeves in Caine would require an explanation that isn’t needed in Ballerina. Still, it’s all quite possible.

Whatever happens and whoever appears in Caine, it’s an exciting project for fans of Donnie Yen and the World of John Wick. Production on the spinoff is supposed to start later this year, so a 2026 release date isn’t outside the realm of possibility.

Keanu Reeves’ John Wick seemingly died at the end of John Wick: Chapter 4, with the final scene featuring Ian McShane's Winston Scott and Laurence Fishburne’s Bowery King standing over the character’s grave… but the assassin’s journey on the big screen isn’t over. In fact, things are significantly heating up in the future of the franchise, as today we got news of three new John Wick projects that are officially in development, including John Wick: Chapter 5.

CinemaCon, the annual convention for movie theater owners, is playing out in Las Vegas this week, and during this morning’s studio presentation from Lionsgate, the studio announced that the John Wick franchise is expanding in a major way. While director Len Wiseman’s Ballerina starring Ana de Armas isn’t set to arrive on the big screen until the summer, there are now three other features on the way as well, the titles including John Wick: Chapter 5, the spinoff Caine starring Donnie Yen, and an animated prequel film.

John Wick: Chapter 5 Is Officially A Go

Despite the death of the titular character in John Wick: Chapter 4, it took very little time after the release of the film for chatter to begin about a John Wick: Chapter 5, with a studio executive confirming development of the project in May 2023. Director Chad Stahelski has shared some doubt about the sequel, but now it has been announced that both he and Keanu Reeves are officially attached to make another film.

Specific plans for production have not been revealed, and the official announcement included neither a release date not the name of a screenwriter who will pen the script. Apparently, however, Keanu Reeves, Chad Stahelski and producers Basil Iwanyk and Erica Lee have found a story that they want to tell.

When one considers the box office performance of John Wick: Chapter 4, this isn’t the most shocking development – even with acknowledging the death of the eponymous hero. The 2023 sequel was the biggest hit yet for the series, as it finished its run at the box office earning over $440 million worldwide (John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum previously set the franchise high water mark making $326.7 million in 2019.

Needless to say, John Wick: Chapter 5 is a project that we here at CinemaBlend will be keeping a close eye on as it continues to move through development.

Caine Is Getting His Own Movie, And Donnie Yen Will Both Star And Direct

One of the key reasons why John Wick: Chapter 4 was such a massive success with both critics and audiences was the exciting franchise addition of Donnie Yen as the blind, hyper-skilled assassin Caine, and it was announced today that the hype has been translated into a spinoff film. A new spinoff simply titled Caine is now in the works, and it is coming together very fast.

Donnie Yen will not only be back to star in the upcoming action movie set in the world of John Wick, but he is also going to direct it as well. Yen last provided an update about the film earlier this year, but the project now has the greenlight, and production is going to start in Hong Kong in 2025.

Mattson Tomlin, best known for creating the Netflix animated series Terminator Zero, has been tapped to write the screenplay for the film. The filmmaker’s other upcoming projects include The Batman Part II, which is being written in collaboration with director Matt Reeves, and BRZRKR, which is based on the comic of the same name and has Keanu Reeves attached to star.

Details about the story are being kept a secret for now, but it has been confirmed that Caine will be taking place after the events of John Wick: Chapter 4 and the titular protagonist earning his freedom from the sinister assassin organization known as the High Table. The character was originally going to be killed by Rina Sawayama’s Akira in the end credits of the last John Wick movie, but an audible was called to spare the character’s life, and that has opened the door for the spinoff.

A John Wick Animated Prequel Is Going To Tell The Story Of John’s Impossible Task

While both John Wick: Chapter 5 and Caine will both be expanding the John Wick canon beyond the events of John Wick: Chapter 4, Lionsgate also announced a new film that will be exploring the past. While the project seemingly doesn’t have an official title just yet, an animated prequel movie has been given the green light, and it will tell the story of the legendary Impossible Task that Keanu Reeves’ character completed so that he could leave the assassin life behind and live a life of peace with his wife.

Shannon Tindle, who most recently co-wrote and directed the Netflix animated film Ultraman: Rising, is taking the helm of the developing film and collaborating with screenwriter Vanessa Taylor, who was a co-executive producer on the second and third seasons of Game Of Thrones and co-wrote Guillermo del Toro’s Best Picture-winning 2017 film The Shape Of Water.

In an official statement, Chad Stahelski (who is a producer on the project) described the developing prequel feature as a “John Wick anime” – which informs us about the animation style that will be employed – and Keanu Reeves will be back to voice the movie’s lead character.

A release date for the animated John Wick prequel has not been announced.

Clearly the future of the action franchise is quite bright, and we will continue to follow all of the big developments with these three movies in the weeks, months and years ahead. Audiences will be able to see the next story in the canon, Ballerina, when it arrives in theaters everywhere on June 6, and be sure to stay tuned here on CinemaBlend in the coming days for more exciting news out of CinemaCon.

The main John Wick film series is in limbo at the moment, because while Chapter 4’s ending seemingly concluded the story of Keanu Reeves’ character, there’s still been talk about the potential of Chapter 5 being made, though the actor has admitted that his knees may not be able to handle that. The John Wick franchise as a whole, on the other hand, is far from over, as the Ana de Armas-led Ballerina opens on the 2025 movies schedule this summer. There are also various spinoffs in development, including one focussed on Donnie Yen’s Caine, and now I’m hoping that this moves forward rather than John Wick: Chapter 5 after hearing the actor’s update on the project.

While discussing his new movie The Prosecutor with Collider’s Steve Weintraub, Yen not only confirmed that this Caine spinoff is in development, he also addressed the possibility that he could work behind the camera too. Not only did he direct The Prosecutor, but Weintraub mentioned that Chad Stahelski, director of the John Wick movies, previously mentioned that this could happen. Here’s what Yen has to say:

While major Hollywood trades like Variety, which reported about the Caine spinoff last May, can more often than not be trusted when it comes to news about movies and TV shows in development, it’s nonetheless good to hear from Donnie Yen himself that it is indeed in the works. In case it wasn’t clear though, the spinoff hasn’t been officially greenlit by Lionsgate, though if the conversations can be described as intimate, then hopefully that indicates its chances of it going forward are strong. And while Yen remained humble about the prospect of him directing the Caine spinoff, considering that he’s been helming movies for decades now, I’d like to see how he would do with a Hollywood production.

Look, let’s not beat around the bush: as things currently stand, John Wick is presumed dead, and I know I’m not alone in thinking it’d be a major reach bringing him back for Chapter 5. We’re already going to see Keanu Reeves reprise the role in Ballerina since it’s set between Chapter 3 and Chapter 4, so why not instead dedicate a movie to a character who deserved more time to shine in his first appearance? When we left off with Caine in the John Wick: Chapter 4 post-credits scene, he’d returned to Paris to reunite with his daughter, but he was being followed by Rina Sawayama’s Shimazu Akira, who was looking to exact revenge for the death of her father.

Unless this Caine spinoff takes place before John Wick: Chapter 4, then obviously he would make it out of this ambush alive. Beyond that, it’s hard to say what would await the blind High Table assassin. All I know is I want to see more from Caine, and I’m hoping a movie focused on him is prioritized over Chapter 5. Meanwhile, I’ll be looking forward to Ballerina’s release on June 6.

After the tremendous ending of John Wick: Chapter 4, the world is still hearing whispers surrounding the potential for a John Wick 5. While that prospect isn’t a done deal, and the only link to that universe of the best action movies moved off of the 2024 movie schedule, another promising development has surfaced.

I can say that because thanks to reporting from Variety, it appears that Donnie Yen’s Caine from Chapter 4 is getting his own spinoff. And of course, at this point we know very little about what to expect. What details we do have confirm that the Ip Man star will be reprising his role, and that the untitled John Wick spinoff is aiming to shoot during 2025. 

Storywise, this new story will be set after the events of John Wick: Chapter 4. Which means cutting John Wick: Chapter 4’s original post-credits scene was definitely a good idea. I mean, how long can you continue a franchise when the lead you’re supposed to be following has seemingly died, am I right? 

All jokes aside, I was excited to read that detail included in this John Wick adjacent news. As we previously learned, Keanu Reeves’ appearance in director Len Wiseman’s Ballerina is thanks to the fact that its story is a midquel that slots in between John Wick - Chapter 3: Parabellum and Chapter 4’s events. So John’s presumed death hasn’t taken place just yet. 

So theoretically, if there’s any hope for a Keanu Reeves’ led John Wick: Chapter 5, the best stepping stone would be Donnie Yen’s new spinoff. Taking into account what's been said about John Wick 5, one can assume this option is still going strong. Provided, of course, that Keanu Reeves feels up to reprising the punishing regimen he undertakes to get into character.

Or perhaps Caine’s next adventure is something so mind blowing, it’ll have the world ready to focus on his exploits as the best way forward in the Wick universe. That's not a knock against Keanu's hypothetical return. Rather, this seems like a prime option to have in play if Mr. Wick's killing days have indeed finally caught up with him. 

There’s no wrong answers here, especially when either way leads to more Yen style ass kickings and one-liners. Seriously, watch this scene from John Wick: Chapter 4, and try not to get excited about fight moves as tasty as that ramen on screen:

Donnie Yen’s Caine will return in this untitled John Wick spinoff, which currently has no release date to speak of. However, fans can anticipate the release of the Ana de Armas starring spinoff in 2025, thanks to what we know about Ballerina. 

Meanwhile, John Wick: Chapter 4 can be streamed through Starz, which can easily be added as an additional option to your pre-existing Prime Video subscription. Sadly, I can't tell you where to go in your area for prime ramen. But if you look hard enough, you can find such delights to enjoy alongside this blockbuster bone cruncher.

The largely mysterious path of the 2024 movie schedule is ready to lead audiences to what could become their new favorites. Nobody knows if something that’s already locked and loaded on the calendar could become one of the best action movies, or the brightest among any genre for that matter. While it’s still uncertain when Universal’s cinematic reboot of David Carradine’s Kung Fu series is slated for release, it’s just cast a perfect lead in John Wick: Chapter 4 star Donnie Yen.

What makes this scenario reported by Deadline even more perfect is the fact that production company 87North is still behind the project, with Kung Fu creator Ed Spielman on board as an executive producer. Furthermore, the action star from such films as Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and the Ip Man saga is also potentially teaming up with another John Wick vet, who may be operating behind the camera. 

Among those previously attached when the Kung Fu reboot was first announced in 2020 is director David Leitch, who slated this cinematic reboot as his Hobbs and Shaw follow-up. The current reporting states that The Fall Guy director is “eying” the director’s chair at the moment, but to be fair, the eventual “follow-up” to Leitch's Fast and Furious spin-off happened to be the box office smash Bullet Train. So at this moment, it’s uncertain who’ll be helming, but one can hope that the intended director gets to work with Donnie Yen on this new variant of Caine’s saga.

The Kung Fu property has been revived a couple of times since the original 1972-1975 series run concluded on ABC. Carradine himself reprised Caine for both the 1986 TV movie Kung Fu: The Movie, as well as the continuation series Kung Fu: The Legend Continues, which ran in syndication between 1993 and 1997. 

Meanwhile, the non-David entries saw both a Brandon Lee-fronted pilot, Kung Fu: The Next Generation, as well as the three-season-long reimagining starring Olivia Liang. That latter project spanned between 2021 and 2023, becoming part of The CW’s cancellation bloodbath of 2023.

Which leads us to this moment, in which Donnie Yen might roam the earth, using his action skills only to survive and defend those in need. Yeah, this Kung Fu reboot is already sounding like a pretty sweet deal. Of course, now all that has to happen is for plans to get into gear and schedules to align. Currently, Kung Fu does not have a slated production start or release date to call its own. 

However, if you’re a fan of both 87North and director David Leitch, The Fall Guy’s trailer should be enough to help you weather the wait. The Ryan Gosling-starring action/comedy is currently awaiting release, only in theaters, on May 3rd. Though if you’re in the mood to see Donnie Yen wrecking shop as the aptly-named Caine in John Wick: Chapter 4, you can currently stream that title with Starz, which is an easy add-on to your Prime Video subscription.

Over the course of the first three John Wick movies, Keanu Reeves’ eponymous character goes toe-to-toe with a number of exceptionally talented killers, but at the start of John Wick: Chapter 4, the hitman known as Baba Yaga demonstrates a very different attitude when confronted by Donnie Yen’s Caine: he’s afraid. Their showdown at the Osaka Continental isn’t so much a fight as it is John hunting for the best possible hiding spot, as he knows that he is outmatched one-on-one.

It’s a fantastic scene that instantly sets the stakes high in the 2023 blockbuster – and the reason that it plays out the way it does is because of how impressed Keanu Reeves was by Donnie Yen’s skills.

Prior to the theatrical release of John Wick: Chapter 4 back in March, I had a terrific in-depth conversation about the film with director Chad Stahelski, and it was while discussing Yen’s work on the movie that he revealed how the first John Wick vs. Caine fight became something completely different than what was originally planned. Speaking about the franchise newcomer’s dazzling speed, the filmmaker said,

Stahelski didn’t go into great detail about how the John Wick: Chapter 4 fight was originally going to go down, but it was made clear that the original plan was for the protagonist to be confrontational and attack. When Keanu Reeves got an eyeful of what Donnie Yen could do on set, however, he realized that the original instincts for the sequence were wrong.

While a lot of action stars make a point of not losing fights on screen, Keanu Reeves was rendered ego-less by Donnie Yen, and he worked with Chad Stahelski and his co-star to come up with something that made the movie better. The director continued,

After that sequence in John Wick: Chapter 4, John seems perpetually in danger with Caine on his tail, and it’s one of many aspects of the action epic that make it so remarkable.

Following its successful run at the box office, the 2023 movie is now making its way to the home video market. John Wick: Chapter 4 is now available for digital purchase from major outlets including Amazon Prime, Google Play, Vudu, and Apple, and physical media collectors can pre-order the film on Blu-ray prior to its June 13 release date.

It’s been nearly four years since audiences have seen Keanu Reeves as the assassin John Wick, but when John Wick: Chapter 4 hits theaters on March 24, the story will pick up right where the third installment of one of the best action movie franchises left off. The hitman is determined to take down the High Table, the crime organization that has a huge bounty on his head, and the trailer promises a large body count and all the bad-assery that fans have come to expect from this franchise. First reactions were very promising, with people calling the fourth installment “epic,” and the praise continues now that reviews are out. 

Keanu Reeves is again joined by Laurence Fishburne, Ian McShane and Lance Reddick, and the John Wick: Chapter 4 cast also adds some notable characters in Caine (Donnie Yen) and the Marquis de Gramont (Bill Skarsgård), who have left their mark on the critics. Let’s get to it then, starting with CinemaBlend’s review of John Wick: Chapter 4. Eric Eisenberg rates the film 4.5 stars out of 5, saying it earns every minute of its nearly three-hour runtime and is likely the best of the sequels. He continues: 

Hoai-Tran Bui of Inverse agrees the three hours breezes by, saying the movie is a “bone-crunching showcase” of what director Chad Stahelski has honed and perfected over the course of four John Wick movies. The critic says: 

Tom Jorgensen of IGN rates the movie a perfect 10 out of 10, calling John Wick: Chapter 4 a “Masterpiece” whose incredibly staged action scenes, engaging ensemble and stylish production design coalesce into a modern action masterclass. From the review: 

Leah Greenblatt of EW grades the movie a B+, calling the movie both “patently ridiculous” and “gloriously illogical,” but also says it’s mostly very fun. The review states: 

Frank Scheck of THR says this fourth John Wick movie outperforms its predecessors in almost every respect, calling it “bigger, badder, bolder, longer.” The critic agrees with those above in saying not many in the audience will complain about the runtime. He continues: 

Thanks to Keanu Reeves, Chad Stahelski and many others involved, John Wick has become one of the best action franchises, boasting some pretty memorable scenes. If you’ve been waiting for this next chapter, your time is almost here, as John Wick: Chapter 4 is set to hit theaters Friday, March 24. Be sure to check out our 2023 Movie Release Schedule to see what else is headed to theaters soon. 

Much like other beloved Chinese actors before him, like Jackie Chan, Jet Li and the late Bruce Lee, Donnie Yen has found Hollywood fame after becoming a big star in Hong Kong action movies. After starring in blockbusters like Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and the live-action Mulan in recent years, the next franchise the actor is putting his stamp on is John Wick for the upcoming fourth movie. Ahead of the 2023 new movie release hitting theaters, Yen is getting real about dealing with Asian stereotypes in big Hollywood productions. 

Donnie Yen recently shared with GQ that he’s very selective about signing on to roles these days. When it comes to making a decision as to whether to take a role, the actor asks himself if the role is “generic” and if it’s respectful to Chinese culture. Apparently the original version of his John Wick: Chapter 4 role didn’t check off these boxes until he asked director Chad Staheleski to make some changes. In his words: 

Yen’s John Wick character name was changed to Caine, and he’s seen in marketing materials donning a black suit and massive sunglasses rather than mandarin collars. When reflecting on his time working on the film starring Keanu Reeves, Yen said he had a ”very respectful experience” playing Caine. 

In John Wick 4, Donnie Yen plays a blind High Table assassin and friend of John Wick in the sequel. A large portion of Chapter 4 set in Japan and influenced by sword-fighting and samurai films. Reeves has teased his work on the upcoming release “hardest movie” he’s ever done.

When talking about Asian stereotypes he’s encountered in Hollywood, Yen also recalled working on Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, where he played Chirrut Îmwe. Donnie Yen shared that the character was originally a generic martial arts warrior before he suggested the character be blind and have a sense of humor in the movie. Here’s what he said: 

What was initially a more cliché character was elevated for the Star Wars movie. Yen has yet to return to the Star Wars universe since playing his 2016 role, but he’s said he would “consider it” if Disney felt there was more story to tell. While the movie didn’t have a happy ending for most of its characters, Diego Luna’s Cassian Andor recently returned for the critically-acclaimed Disney+ series Andor, so hey, anything can happen. 

You can check out the latest John Wick: Chapter 4 trailer here on CinemaBlend ahead of the movie hitting theaters on March 24. 

John Wick has been through a lot over his three film appearances so far, from losing his wife to a terminal illness and being hunted down by assassins all over the world, to having his finger chopped off and falling off the rooftop of The Continental in the John Wick: Chapter 3 ending. Yet John is still kicking after all this, mean we can look forward to him returning in John Wick: Chapter 4. Had things gone according to the original plan, Chapter 4, the longest John Wick movie yet, would have been released in May 2021, but after being pushed back a year, it’s now on track to be among the 2023 movie releases.

John Wick: Chapter 4 will see the title protagonist waging war on The High Table (as shown in the first trailer), which will include him traveling the globe and facing off against a powerful new enemy who has powerful alliances that will lead to old friends becoming foes. Additionally, we have been learning how the action movie’s cast will look. Let’s go over the actors who have been announced for Chapter 4 so far, starting with the man who brings the Baba Yaga to life on the big screen, Keanu Reeves. 

Keanu Reeves

When we last left off with Keanu Reeves’ John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum, he’d been seemingly betrayed by his old friend Winston, but luckily, he wasn’t left for dead. The Tick Tock Man retrieved John and delivered him to Laurence Fishburne’s Bowery King, who’d also suffered at the hands of the High Table and questioned if John was “pissed off” at the council of crime lords too. While it’s unclear how much time will pass between the events of Parabellum and Chapter 4, it’s reasonable to assume that John Wick will indeed seek vengeance for everything that the High Table has done to him. However, there’s also an opportunity that comes his way that could lead to him getting out of this conflict alive.

Rina Sawayama

If the name Rina Sawayama rings a bell, you’re likely familiar with her musical career, as she’s the singer behind singles like “STFU!,” “XS,” “Bad Friend” and “Lucid.” But Sawayama also has some acting experience under her belt, having played Layla Valentine in the short-lived, Idris Elba-led Netflix series Turn Up Charlie. Now she’s making her film debut in John Wick: Chapter 4 as someone named Akira, although it hasn’t been revealed yet whether her character will aid John or try to eliminate him. 

Donnie Yen

Donnie Yen has showcased his martial arts skills in a lot of movies, from Hong Kong offerings like the Ip Man film series to American blockbusters like Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and Disney’s live-action Mulan remake. So with so much fighting experience under his belt, he’s a perfect fit for the John Wick franchise, where people are being punched and kicked left and right. Yen’s John Wick: Chapter 4 character is named Caine, he’ll reportedly be an old friend of John’s who “shares his same history and many of the same enemies.” While you’d think that means John can count on Caine to help him out, the latest Chapter 4 trailer showed John and Caine fighting each other, so something will lead to a divide coming between them.

Shamier Anderson

Over in the TV world Shamier Anderson is best known for playing Xavier Dolls in the first three seasons of the Syfy series Wynonna Earp, and he’s also appeared in shows like The Next Step, Shots Fired and Goliath. Anderson’s film credits include Destroyer, City of Lies and Stowaway, and now he gets to take part in the craziness that is John Wick: Chapter 4. Anderson is appearing in Chapter 4 as Tracker, with Chad Stahelski telling Collider that he’s a “self-motived character” (at least initially) who’s operating in the “gray area” between “the Wick world, and the real world.”

Bill Skarsgård

Along with his time scaring audiences and the citizen of Derry, Maine as Pennywise the Dancing Clown in the IT movies, Bill Skarsgård has also participated in the action-heavy movies Atomic Blonde and Deadpool 2. Now he’s joined the cast of John Wick: Chapter 4 as someone named The Marquis de Gramont. In the second Chapter 4 trailer, The Marquis is presented as someone whom if John can defeat in single combat, The High Table will let him go free. In the aforementioned Collider article, Chad Stahelski said that The Marquis isn’t really “the antagonist, but he's the one in charge of cleaning up all the messes from the first three movies.”

Laurence Fishburne

Now we come to another familiar face who’s returning to the John Wick franchise! Having already played the Morpheus to Keanu Reeves’ Neo in the first three Matrix movies, Laurence Fishburne has since re-teamed with Reeves by playing The Bowery King, who helped John Wick out in Chapter 2 and was punished for this in Chapter 3 - Parabellum. At the end of Chapter 3, the badly injured John was delivered to Bowery King in his new underground hideout, and like John, he was angry at what the High Table had done to them. So now the stage is set for John and Bowery King to exact vengeance on this council of crime lords, and Fishburne has claimed that Chapter 4 is “the best one” of the franchise.

Scott Adkins

Scott Adkins knows his way around action, from fighting Hugh Jackman’s James Howlett/Logan as Weapon XI in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, to working for Jean-Claude Van Damme’s Jean Vilain in The Expendables 2. So bringing Adkins into John Wick: Chapter 4 makes all the sense in the world, and if he’s playing a villain, Keanu Reeves’ John will need to keep his guard up against the martial arts skills Adkins’ character, who's named Killa, will surely break out. It remains to be seen if Adkins share any screen time with Donnie Yen, who he co-starred alongside in Ip Man 4: The Finale.

Lance Reddick

Fans of the John Wick franchise can take comfort knowing we’ll reunite with Winston’s righthand man in Chapter 4. Bosch’s Lance Reddick will be back as Charon, the concierge of The Continental’s New York branch who spent the first two movies in the hotel’s lobby, but finally got to jump into the action in John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum. Now we wait to see if he’ll gun down bad guys again in Chapter 4 or if he’ll be back to chiefly focusing on his concierge duties.

Marko Zaror

If Marko Zaror looks familiar to you, then you’ve likely seen him in movies like Machete Kills and Alita: Battle Angel, or maybe you caught his recurring role as Zolo in From Dusk till Dawn: The Series. Regardless, John Wick: Chapter 4 looks like it’ll be Zaror’s biggest platform to shine yet, as he’s cast as one of John’s “main pursuers.” In other words, it’ll be this guy’s job to make Keanu Reeves’ character’s life hell… you know, even more than it already is.

Ian McShane

Like Charon, Ian McShane’s Winston has been part of the John Wick franchise since the beginning, as he has the integral role of running the New York branch of the Continental hotel. While Winston provided invaluable assistance to Keanu Reeves’ John in the first three movies, the characters didn’t part on good terms at the end of Chapter 3 - Parabellum. After coming to a truce with The High Table and having the Continental re-consecrated, Winston repeatedly shot John until he fell off the roof to show his fealty to the High Table. Most fans logically assume there was more to Winston doing that than meets the eye, and judging by the Chapter 4 trailers, it looks like he’s back to once again helping John directly. Following Chapter 4, McShane will reprise Winston for a “pivotal” role in Ballerina, and Keanu Reeves will also reportedly be involved in the Ana de Armas-led spinoff.

Clancy Brown

Whether you know him from live-action roles like The Kurgan in Highlander or Byron Hadley in The Shawshank Redemption, or have heard him voice animated characters like Mr. Krabs in Spongebob Squarepants or Lex Luthor in the DC Animated Universe, most, if not all of you reading this are familiar with Clancy Brown in some way. Well, soon he’ll be lending his talents to the John Wick universe as a character known only as Harbinger. As explained by Chad Stahelski, Harbinger is "everything that word stands for," essentially serving as The High Table’s “referee.”

Hiroyuki Sanada

As far as his American work goes, Hiroyuki Sanada is recognizable from the likes of The Wolverine, Avengers: Endgame, Army of the Dead, Bullet Train and Westworld, among other projects. During development of John Wick: Chapter 3, it was reported that Sanada was being eyed to play the villain, and while that obviously didn’t happen, he went on to be looped into the Chapter 4 proceedings. So now Sanada and Reeves get to reunite following their time together on 47 Ronin, and Sanada teased that his character, Shimazu, and John Wick also have history with one another.

Natalia Tena

Fans of the Harry Potter movies will know Natalia Tena as Nymphadora Tonks, but if the Wizarding World isn’t your thing, maybe you recognize her from Game of Thrones as Osha, or for leading other shows like Wisdom of the Crowd and Origin. Regardless, it’s been confirmed that we’ll see Tena in John Wick: Chapter 4, and while her character not been identified yet, evidently her time with John Wick will involve him burning his arm for some reason.

Written by Shay Hatten and Michael Finch, John Wick: Chapter 4 is slated for March 24, 2023. Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more updates on its progress, including other actors, both new and familiar, who are added to the lineup. 

The John Wick series has easily become one of the premier action franchises in Hollywood. Keanu Reeves and the team behind the films have succeeded in making every new installment bigger and better than the last. The seres keeps things fresh and exciting by adding even more talent to the mix, like kung fu movie legend Donnie Yen. Fans see him alongside Reeves on the big screen. Just recently Yen has shared some behind-the-scenes moments, including his goodbye to his co-star as he wrapped his work on Chapter 4.

The actor took to his Instagram to announce that he'd finished his work on the movie and showed off some fantastic behind-the-scenes footage in the process. In it,  he revealed some of the wrap gifts he received and showed how he parted ways with his collaborators.. Four months away from your family can be challenging, and Yen, excited to go back home, encapsulated his experience with a sweet message, saying:

It seems like Donnie Yen had a great time filming  John Wick: Chapter 4 and has respect and admiration for his newfound friends, Keanu Reeves and director Chad Stahelski. There aren’t many details about the film or who Yen will be playing, so it’s unclear if he'll be an ally to Reeves's Wick or an enemy. (For his sake, let’s hope he's an ally.) For months, Yen had been keeping his Instagram up to date with his filming, showing fans what long days and nights look like and how he likes to kick back and unwind. To see his exit from the set, check out his sweet video down below:

The franchise has set the bar for action and martial arts filmmaking. It has skillfully mixed styles and techniques from kung fu and action movies of old and has also taken inspiration from modern classics like The Raid. The ultimate result is something that is truly unique and intense for moviegoers. Bringing in a martial arts icon like Yen, who has starred in countless martial arts masterpieces, is a major pick-up for the John Wick franchise.

He and Keanu Reeves will also be joined by franchise newcomer Bill Skarsgård in the upcoming fourth installment, and it'll be interesting to see what role the It actor plays in the movie. With new additions and the returning stars like Laurence Fishburne, the film is sure to be packed with everything you'd want and expect from the beloved franchise.

It would seem that the cast and crew were quite close on the set. As a matter of fact, Keanu Reeves just celebrated wrapping on John Wick: Chapter 4 by buying some expensive gifts for the crew. So seeing the movie will be that much sweeter knowing that there was great camaraderie among those involved in making it. The action flick is set to hit theaters on May 27, 2022, and it will surely be one of the biggest and most action-packed movies in a year that's already filled with plenty of great blockbusters. You can read up on those through CinemaBlend's 2022 movie release schedule.

Back in June, it was announced that Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and Mulan star Donnie Yen was joining the John Wick: Chapter 4 cast. Just a few weeks later, filming on the next installment in the Keanu Reeves-led action franchise kicked off, and it’s still going on as we’re winding down October. That means there’s been a lot of long days for Yen in front of the camera, and he looked like could use a nap after the most recent one.

Donnie Yen has periodically gone on Instagram over the last several months to update people on his life is going in the midst of shooting John Wick: Chapter 4. In the below post, we see Yen kicking back after finishing his work for the day, and the placement of the movie’s title on his shoe is a nice touch.

This isn’t the first time Donnie Yen has shared how tiring his time on John Wick: Chapter 4 has been, with a post back in early August touching on how difficult night shoots can be. That being said, overall it sounds like Yen’s experience on Chapter 4 has been positive, with the actor having said at the end of August that he was “having the best time working” with Keanu Reeves and director Chad Stahelski. Yen has also been fairly productive during his free time during the production, like when he taste tested some John Wick and Ip Man-themed burgers.

Donnie Yen was the second new actor to be announced for John Wick: Chapter 4, following pop singer Rina Sawayama, who’s making her film debut on this project. While we don’t know the name of Yen’s John Wick 4 character yet, we do know he will be an old friend of Keanu Reeves’ character who “shares his same history and many of the same enemies.” Considering how chaotic John’s life is, it never hurts to have more allies as he tries to stay alive.

Other new cast members who have come aboard for John Wick: Chapter 4 include Shamier Anderson, Bill Skarsgård, Hiroyuki Sanada (who had once been rumored to star in John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum), Scott Adkins and Clancy Brown. The lineup of familiar faces joining Keanu Reeves includes Laurence Fishburne’s Bowery King, Ian McShane’s Winston and Lance Reddick’s Charon. While specific plot details for Chapter 4 haven’t been revealed yet, Chapter 3 ended with a gravely-injured John being brought before The Bowery King in his underground lair, and Fishburne’s character alluded to the two of them forming an alliance to bring The High Table down.

John Wick: Chapter 4 opens in theaters on May 27, 2022, and while plans to shoot it and John Wick: Chapter 5 back-to-back were eventually scrapped, the latter project is still in development. The John Wick franchise is also expanding with Starz’s The Continental event series, which just cast Mel Gibson in an undisclosed role.

Keanu Reeves is the kind of man legends are made of, at least if you believe the crazy rumor about him being immortal. The Matrix actor was big even before he became the face of the John Wick franchise, which is practically booming with a 4th and 5th installment on the way. Co-star Donnie Yen adds to ever-growing reputation of Reeves when he practically throws praise at the actor, along with John Wick 4 director Chad Stahelski.

If you needed another reason to believe that Keanu Reeves is a stand up guy and love him for it, other than portraying a character who basically rips the underground crime world apart because of the death of his dog, John Wick 4 star Donnie Yen gives us just that. In an interview with Collider, Yen praises Reeves for just being an all-around good guy. He gives the same praise to John Wick franchise director Chad Stahelski, as well as saying that he just gets movies. Here it is in the actor’s own words:

Donnie Yen is a new addition to the John Wick franchise, the fourth film being his first so working with both Keanu Reeves and Chad Stahelski may be new for him, he does say it’s the best Hollywood experience he has had on a film. The John Wick franchise is actually the first directorial experience Stahelski has, having an extensive background in stunt work otherwise, so it’s huge praise for the director.

In the same interview, Donnie Yen goes more into depth about his feelings toward star Keanu Reeves. The John Wick newcomer basically says that Reeves is the real deal, doing everything himself and earning all the respect he is given. This is what Yen says about the long time action star, exactly:

With a franchise as successful as John Wick, it’s good to hear that the people behind the films are so grounded and beat the typical big Hollywood stereotypes, especially when such praises are coming from newcomers in an already established franchise. John Wick 4 is still filming and is set to release May 27th of next year, and Chapter 5 will soon follow.

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Donnie Yen has had an action-packed career, between being the Ip Man and starring in a slew of martial arts films and the upcoming John Wick: Chapter 4 with Keanu Reeves. But one of his most memorable roles in recent years saw him landing in a galaxy far, far away in 2016’s Star Wars anthology film, Rogue One. It was originally a one-off storyline depicting the sacrifice involved in the rebellion, but hey if Diego Luna’s Cassian Andor is coming back, can Yen's character, Chirrut Îmwe, do the same?

Donnie Yen played a blind spiritual warrior-monk and was always accompanied and protected by Jiang Wen’s Baze Malbus. But, spoiler alert: both characters died in Rogue One, alongside pretty much every key character in that film. We’d watch more from the character if the Star Wars storytellers found something worthy of our time. Here’s what Yen thinks about coming back to play his Rogue One character:

Following the release of Rogue One, Disney has found another spinoff story to tell in the form of Disney+'s Andor. The series, which is coming sometime in 2022, will star Diego Luna as Cassian Andor prior to his sacrifice to save the Death Star plans, which ultimately saves many lives through Luke Skywalker’s journey. Maybe down the line, we could go on an adventure with Chirrut Îmwe and Baze Malbus, too?

Rogue One is available to stream on Disney+. You can sign up for the service using this link along with a number of Star Wars movies and TV shows.

During Donnie Yen’s interview with Looper, he shared some interest in returning to the Star Wars Universe, but it all comes down to telling a good story. It makes sense, especially considering how powerful and rare it is for a Disney property to keep characters dead instead of making them these unexpendable figures that we can always count on returning.

It’s a bit of a similar discussion that Marvel deals with as well. For example, Robert Downey Jr and Chris Evans’ Iron Man and Captain America had complete arcs as of Avengers: Endgame but, following their thoughtful finales, I assure you, they’ll be asked when they will return for decades to come.

Star Wars aside, Donnie Yen is currently filming John Wick 4 alongside a huge cast that includes the aforementioned Keanu Reeves as well as Bill Skarsgård, Laurence Fishburne, Hiroyuki Sanada, Ian McShane and Rina Sawayama. The movie is expected to hit theaters on May 27, 2022.

John Wick: Chapter 4 has added a slew of new actors to its roster, and the most exciting of which has been Ip Man himself, Donnie Yen. Donnie Yen has joined Keanu Reeves high caliber action franchise and looks sharp and ready. Despite the long night shoots taking their toll, Donnie Yen is set to be a burst of martial arts charisma for the next John Wick. Donnie Yen has taken a break from filming John Wick 4 to taste test Ip Man and John Wick burgers.

Donnie Yen has used his free time from filming for John Wick: Chapter 4 to be productive. In a charming Instagram video, Yen has found and taste-tested both an Ip Man burger and a John Wick Burger. The action star stumbled across a burger place where Ip Man and John Wick are both immortalized with their own unique burgers, so of course, Donnie yen had to try them out. Here is the post:

Donnie Yen went on a small adventure after hearing about a place with an Ip Man burger and ended getting both the Ip man and the John Wick burger. Getting a burger or a food item named after you is serious icon status stuff. The Ip Man films are some of the most beloved kung fu movies out, and Donnie Yen is incredible in them. Ip man having a burger isn’t a surprise, but Keanu Reeves John Wick having one means that the franchise is already certified as one of the best.

It will be exciting to see Donnie Yen in John Wick: Chapter 4. The franchise keeps bringing in great martial artists and action stars, and it keeps elevating the hardcore action of the movies and seeing what Donnie Yen will do in the John Wick universe will be something to behold. Donnie Yen is clearly up to the task. Nothing could phase him action-wise, but he has discussed the most challenging part about filming John Wick, and it’s honestly lovely.

John Wick: Chapter 4 is bringing back beloved characters as well as adding new blood to the mix. Ian McShane is confirmed to be returning, reprising his role as Winston, and Lance Reddick is back as the hotel concierge Charon. One of the most exciting additions outside of Donnie Yen is Bill Skarsgård, who is joining the franchise, and he has explained why he decided to jump on board.

Laurence Fishburne is back as The Bowery King and, as one of the best parts of the franchise, is poised to give an even more exciting performance. Chapter 3 left us at an interesting point, and it will be interesting to see how things have changed. We cant wait to see Donnie Yen in the shadowy world of Assasins and Hotels, alongside Keanu Reeves and the growing and fantastic cast.

After over 40 years, Star Wars continues to thrive but, these days, it’s not dazzling audiences through its big-screen ventures quite as often. Right now, the storied franchise is holding our attention through its small-screen, live-action content. While The Mandalorian is holding down the fort at the moment, it’ll soon be joined by a host of other shows, including the Andor TV show on Disney+. The series will see the return of Diego Luna’s Cassian Andor, who was first introduced in Star Wars: Rogue One. The rebel spy is more than deserving of his own series, but one could argue that there are other characters from the 2016 film that deserve the same treatment.

Andor is a prequel series that will focus on the title character’s adventures before the events of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, in which he bravely sacrificed himself alongside his comrades. One of the best things about Gareth Edwards’ film is that it included an eclectic cast of characters, with many possessing their own unique backstories. With this, Lucasfilm and Disney+ may want to consider reviving a few for their own TV spinoffs. So let’s take a look at some of the familiar faces that could follow in Cassian Andor’s footsteps and headline their own shows:

Jyn Erso

This is a pretty obvious one, but most would probably agree that Jyn Erso is a prime character to lead her own spinoff series. Played by the wonderful Felicity Jones, Jyn was orphaned at a young age and eventually became a child soldier and later a criminal. It was that latter life that would unintentionally get her on the radar of the Rebel Alliance, who she would ultimately aid in stealing the plans for the Death Star. Although Erso was the film’s main protagonist, there’s still much more to explore within her history.

Jyn’s checkered past is what makes her a strong candidate for a TV series, and seeing her years as an outlaw would be particularly interesting. Given her history, there’s no telling what kind things she saw or what kind of people she came into contact with in her time. Of course, there’s also the fact that Felicity Jones is great in the role, and it would be nice to have her back. And it just so happens that the Oscar-nominated actress would love to revive the character and wants to try some daring new things with Jyn as well. I, for one, am hoping she gets the chance to jump back into the galaxy far, far away.

Saw Gerrera

The Star Wars movies and TV shows have introduced an assortment of interesting characters over the years, but few have had as complex a journey as Saw Gerrera. Fans first met Saw in the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars, in which he’s introduced as a young freedom fighter from Onderon. But by the time Forest Whitaker played the live-action iteration in Rogue One, he’d become an aged man leading a radicalized rebel group, which even includes child soldiers. Since then, the character has popped up in a number of places and is even set to appear on Andor.

Saw Gerrera is a Star Wars character that operates in a gray area, not unlike a Boba Fett. We can’t completely classify him as a villain, but he’s certainly not a total hero. In terms of a Disney+ show, it would be great to see Forest Whitaker return in a prequel that chronicles Gerrera’s evolution from noble revolutionary to callous radical. As a fan of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, I’d absolutely love to see this kind of series in the Star Wars universe, and Whitaker definitely has the acting chops to pull it off.

Orson Krennic

Now, to some, this may seem like an unexpected choice, but I would absolutely watch a series centered on Rogue One’s main antagonist. Sure, he’s another Imperial suit, albeit with a nice cape. Yes, he is smug and incredibly ruthless. We also can’t forget the fact that he was totally owned by Darth Vader when going to meet with the dark lord. Still, the idea of seeing more of the delightful Ben Mendelsohn being smug and ruthless and wearing a cape honestly sounds like fun.

In the grand scheme of things, Krennic plays an important role in the history of Star Wars, seeing as how he spearheaded the Death Star project. An ongoing series with the character may honestly be a bit much, but a limited series or even a special showing key aspects of his Death Star efforts leading up to Rogue One could be intriguing. The series could even dive deeper into his relationship with Mads Mikkelsen’s Galen Erso. Of course, this would all depend on whether Ben Mendelson would be willing to return and, if so, the actor would likely make the most his time in the spotlight.

Baze Malbus

Baze Malbus was another one of the characters introduced to the Star Wars universe through Rogue One. Jiang Wen’s gruff soldier was established as a former member of the Guardian of the Whills, a religious Force-based group, before he set off on his own as a freelance assassin. The character ultimately proved to be entertaining, but he unfortunately didn’t get too much time to shine. Luckily though, his intriguing backstory serves as prime fodder for a spinoff series.

While Baze Malbus was definitely the skeptic of the Rogue One group, his keen skills with a blaster and his intense loyalty to his allies endeared him to audiences. A prequel series could go one or two ways with Baze. On the one hand, you could focus on his time as a guardian though, in his case, it might be a bit more interesting to see him working as an assassin. Regardless, Jiang Wen deserves an opportunity to do more with Baze. Plus, his spinoff could even be a two-hander with his longtime ally, another character who could absolutely lead his own show.

Chirrut Îmwe

If a spinoff centered on the Guardians of the Whills were to be produced, then it would absolutely need to feature Donnie Yen’s Chirrut Îmwe. The blind spiritual leader, who was based on Jedha City, proved to be a keen warrior, but it was his calm demeanor and fierce commitment to the Force (despite not having abilities) that made him a compelling figure. Like longtime companion Baze Malbus and other Rogue One characters, Chirrut didn’t get enough screen time, so why not give him his own prequel?

The Guardians of the Whills have yet to truly be explored in the live-action realm of Star Wars, and a spinoff that explores Chirrut’s time with the order would be interesting. And as mentioned, such a project could also see Baze Malbus as co-lead. It’s a solid concept and one that’s especially exciting when you consider that it would bring the great Donnie Yen back into the franchise. Because let’s be honest, the veteran actor and martial artist is downright mesmerizing whenever he’s on screen.

There’s no telling whether Star Wars will bring back any of these characters for their own projects though, considering the number of spinoffs currently being produced, it’s certainly not impossible. But while we wait for any potential developments, we can take comfort in knowing that Andor will definitely arrive on Disney+ in 2022. And for more on what’s coming up in the immediate future, check out our 2021 fall TV schedule.

Donnie Yen has been a superstar on the Hong Kong film circuit for a long time, particularly through the Ip Man film series, but the last half decade has seen him building a Hollywood profile through movies like Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, XXX: Return of Xander Cage and Mulan. Now he’s is hard at work on John Wick: Chapter 4, and while it stands to reason that the next entry in the franchise should be just as cool, if not more so, than its predecessors, it’s clear the night shoots have been hard on Yen.

John Wick: Chapter 4 is a little over a month into principal photography, and Donnie Yen went on Instagram to share an update on how filming is coming along. Only rather than getting a sneak peek of Yen during a scene he was shooting or even a behind-the-scenes snapshot of him, we see his exhausted state in the aftermath of whatever he was working on hours earlier.

A delicious meal, pleasant environment and good music can only do so much with improving one’s mood when you’ve spent the night before acting in a major motion picture that’s packed with fights and stunts. With that sort of schedule for John Wick: Chapter 4, it’s no wonder Donnie Yen is tired. Nevertheless, even with so little sleep, Yen noted that he’s thinking about how he can “refine” his performance for the next night’s shoot. So nobody question this man’s work ethic!

Donnie Yen was announced to be joining John Wick: Chapter 4 in early June, and while his character still hasn’t been identified yet, this individual is reportedly an old friend of Keanu Reeves’ John who “shares his same history and many of the same enemies.” While Yen has acknowledged that it’s been hard being away from his family to work on Chapter 4, it sounds like he’s been enjoying his time on the production. It’s unclear how much more Yen has to shoot before his time on Chapter 4 is over, but I wouldn’t fault him for wanting to take a few days off to recover from the nighttime filming.

The other newcomers who have been brought aboard for John Wick: Chapter 4 include Rina Sawayama, Shamier Anderson, Bill Skarsgård, Hiroyuki Sanada, Scott Adkins and Marko Zaror. As with Donnie Yen, it hasn’t been revealed yet who any of these actors are playing. As far as familiar faces go, Keanu Reeve’s John Wick will be accompanied by Ian McShane’s Winston, Lance Reddick’s Charon and Laurence Fishburne’s Bowery King. Behind the scenes, Chad Stahelski once again sat in the director’s chair for Chapter 4, and Shay Hatten and Michael Finch wrote the script.

John Wick: Chapter 4 opens in theaters on May 27, 2022. Learn what other movies are primed for next year with our 2022 release schedule.

If you're a fan of big screen action, there are few movie franchises happening right now quite as perfect as John Wick. Every action scene is like a ballet of violence. With each new entry in the series part of the excitement is just waiting to see how director Chad Stahelski will top himself finding new and exciting ways for Keanu Reeves to kill lots of people. It's also exciting to see just who John Wick will be going up against, or teaming up with, in his struggle for survival. We know John Wick: Chapter 4 will be bringing one of the all-time great action stars into the fold with Donnie Yen, and the actor looks like he's acclimating himself to the world of John Wick quite well.

Today marks Donnie Yen's birthday and the actor posted to Instagram in a sort of celebration. Yen is celebrating this year from the set of John Wick: Chapter 4, and while he admits to missing his family on his special day, he clearly also still loves making movies, and he's looking very ready to stand next to Keanu Reeves, they both look really good in a suit.

While the action of John Wick is top notch, one of the best elements about the franchise is the world that the films inhabit. There's an entire secret world of professional assassins and they exist just under the surface of our own world. Most of them dress like normal businessmen, and we would simply never know that the suit is actually bullet resistant if we saw them on the street.

Exactly how Donnie Yen's character will fit into John Wick: Chapter 4 we don't really know. It's being reported that Yen's character shares many of the same enemies as Keanu Reeves' character, as well as the same history, which could mean Yen's character actually made it out of the life, as Wick had once done, before the death of a puppy started a chain reaction that brought the former killer back. One assumes this means we will see Reeves and Yen fighting alongside each other rather than trying to kill each other, but who knows? We could start off in one place and by the end be somewhere very different.

It honestly feels shocking that we made it to the fourth John Wick movie before a place was found for Donnie Yen. An actor with his martial arts skill feels like just the sort of person who should be a big part of a franchise like this. The sort of action sequences that could be put together with Donnie Yen should be absolutely amazing. Even if it feels like this should have happened sooner, action fans are sure to love that it is finally happening.

It's great to see that John Wick: Chapter 4 is underway, and that much of the previous cast is back. What the future holds for John Wick is anybody's guess, but we can be sure it will include some incredible action.

Making an action movie can be a tough experience for an actor, and that will almost surely be the case for many of the performers making the upcoming John Wick: Chapter 4. After all, the franchise is famously stunt and fight heavy, and as such there are going to be a lot of people who go home from set each day needing to relax and put ice on sore muscles. For star Donnie Yen, however, it won't be the physical toll that the production takes that will prove to be the hardest part of the experience. Instead, according to a sweet social media post, the real challenge will be having to spend time away from his family.

Donnie Yen, who is a martial arts movie legend, announced today on Instagram that he is now getting set to start his work on John Wick: Chapter 4 – which is planning to shoot in locations all around the world – but his post is less excited and more somber than you might expect. While a lot of actors kick off work on a new project by hyping its existence and their involvement, Yen's photos and caption have a different kind of tone. Check out his message to his followers (or more specifically, his family) below:

As featured in the photos, Donnie Yen has a wife and two children, and he is evidently going to miss them dearly as he is either fighting with or alongside Keanu Reeves in John Wick: Chapter 4. He writes in his caption:

It was only a little over a month ago that news broke of Donnie Yen's involvement in John Wick: Chapter 4, and he has joined an awesome ensemble that promises to perform a hell of a lot of ass-kicking on the big screen. In addition to Laurence Fishburne returning to join in the eponymous character's war against the sinister and powerful High Table, the cast also includes Doctor Strange's Scott Adkins, Mortal Kombat's Hiroyuki Sanada, IT's Bill Skarsgård, and more. With director Chad Stahelski back at the helm, all signs point towards the film being another excellent addition to the growing assassin franchise, and we can't wait to see it.

While John Wick: Chapter 4 only entered production within the last few weeks, the finished product is scheduled to arrive in less than a year's time (it helps speed up things in post-production when there aren't thousands of VFX shots to render). The movie will be heading exclusively to theaters on July 22, 2022, and to check out all of the features set to come out next year be sure to check out our 2022 Movie Release Calendar.

Donnie Yen, who's joined John Wick: Chapter 4's cast, knows how to bring it in action and martial arts films. His skills as a martial arts performer have made him one of cinema’s top action stars, so going against former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson in a fight scene should’ve been easy for him. But according to the John Wick 4 actor, that wasn’t the case. Yen revealed how terrified he was shooting one fight scene with Tyson.

Mike Tyson cameoed in the third installment of the Ip Man film series. The retired boxer served as an opponent for Donnie Yen in the epic biographical drama. The John Wick 4 star felt the scene could’ve gone wrong considering Tyson isn’t an actor. Yen said the following about his fanboying over the former heavyweight champion turning to fear:

Given Mike Tyson’s reputation in the ring, Donnie Yen was right to be fearful of Tyson’s hands. While Yen is a martial artist legend, the former heavyweight doesn’t have an on-off switch when it comes to knocking out opponents. But the Rogue One star shouldn’t have been too afraid, as Tyson proved he can tone things down in the first two Hangover films. Then again, boxing Tyson and comedic Tyson are complete opposites.

But filming the actual Ip Man 3 scene was another experience. Donnie Yen remembered the boxing legend’s fist almost connecting in the fight scene, according to South China Morning Post. He said about avoiding Mike Tyson’s lethal punch:

Donnie Yen’s description of the moment would have anyone going through the motions. Thankfully, he was able to react quickly before Mike Tyson could’ve knocked him out or worse. Having grown up watching Tyson in the boxing ring, his punches were damaging and his reach was otherworldly. So, missing Yen’s head (barely) and destroying a sandbag was just a small taste of his legendary skills.

Mike Tyson had no chill when it comes to boxing, so it’s nice that Donnie Yen can still tell that story. Given Yen’s growing presence in American film, the two might be due for a rematch (or not) in the Tyson miniseries. But Yen’s legendary skills will be on display as he now that he's part of John Wick: Chapter 4, which arrives in theaters on May 27, 2022.

John Wick is arguably one the best action franchises around today. Through three movies so far we've seen Keanu Reeves put through the wringer, but John Wick is still going, and we know he's going to fight on through at least two more films. While the only thing we know for sure is that John Wick: Chapter 4 is going to have some insane action scenes, we now know one other detail: John Wick is going to have some help. It was announced yesterday that Donnie Yen is set to join the next film, and the actor is clearly ready for this movie just like we are.

While a fight scene between Keanu Reeves and a character played by Donnie Yen sounds like just about the most amazing thing we could see, it doesn't sound like that's actually in the cards, as the report says that Donnie Yen is set to play an old friend of John Wick who shares many of the same enemies. Still, the next best thing to a fight scene between them will be a team-up, and Donnie Yen took to social media to confirm the news that he'll be in the movie, and strongly imply that this is a movie we should all probably see.

Would we go see Donnie Yen in a John Wick movie? Yes, I think we all probably would. If you're a fan of action movies in general, then Donnie Yen is quite simply one of the biggest names in the genre. He's starred in countless amazing action films in Asia and more than a few stateside as well. Imagining him involved in one of those amazingly well choreographed John Wick fight sequences sounds like just the sort of thing that fans would love to see.

Donnie Yen will apparently play an old friend of John Wick and based on where John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum left off, John Wick could use all the friends he can find. The fact that he was even still alive at the end of the last movie was sort of a shock. And considering that each sequel has picked up pretty much immediately where the previous one left off, Wick is going to be hurting when Chapter 4 gets going.

With John Wick: Chapter 4 set for release next May, production on the film should be getting underway quite soon, One can expect that Keanu Reeves could be going through some of the wild training that we've seen him do previously, right now. Chad Stahelski is set to return to direct the next entry. One place where the movie will change is that the new film will be the first not written by franchise creator Derek Kolstad. Check out everything else we know about the film in the link below.

We missed out on getting to see John Wick: Chapter 4 this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the next entry in the Keanu Reeves-led franchise is finally beginning filming soon. As we move forward to that important step in the creative process, casting news is starting to trickle in. Last week, it was announced that pop singer Rina Sawayama would make her film debut in Chapter 4, and now it’s been announced that Rogue One: A Star Wars Story star Donnie Yen will also appear in the action flick.

While the specific identity of Donnie Yen’s John Wick: Chapter 4 character hasn’t been revealed, Deadline reports that Yen will play an old friend of John’s who “shares his same history and many of the same enemies.” Considering how things ended for John in Chapter 3 - Parabellum, he could certainly use more allies, and a man of Yen’s fighting talents is certainly helpful in getting out of jams with other assassins. Here’s what Chapter 4 director Chad Stahelski had to say about Yen’s involvement:

Donnie Yen has long cemented himself as one of Hong Kong’s greatest action stars with his martial arts skills, and he’s arguably best known in the Hong Kong cinema scene for leading the Ip Man film series. American audiences will recognize him as Chirrut Îmwe, the blind Guardian of the Whills who teamed up with Jyn Erso, in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Yen also starred as Xiang in XXX: Return of Xander Cage and Commander Tung in Disney’s live-action Mulan remake. Along with John Wick: Chapter 4, Yen’s upcoming movies include Raging Fire (which comes out in Hong Kong this July) and the film adaptation of the Sleeping Dogs video game.

By the time John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum concluded, Keanu Reeves’ character was in rough shape, having been shot by Ian McShane’s Winston (we can all agree there was more to that than meets the eye, right?) and fallen off the roof of The Continental. Luckily, he was retrieved by The Tick Tock Man and delivered to Laurence Fishburne’s Bowery King, who inquired about if John is just as pissed off at the High Table as he is. John answered affirmatively, so it looks like we can count on these two teaming up in John Wick: Chapter 4 to bring down the council of crime lords that’s made their lives hell. Fingers crossed Donnie Yen’s character can assist them with their vengeance.

With John Wick: Chapter 4 gearing up for principal photography in Paris, France and Berlin, Germany, followed by additional filming in Japan and New York City, it’s likely we’ll learn about more actors joining the cast in the coming weeks. Behind the scenes, Chad Stahelski, who’s been part of the John Wick franchise since the beginning, is sitting back in the director’s chair. However, Derek Kolstad, who worked on the scripts for the first three John Wick movies, did not return, with Michael Finch instead tackling the Chapter 4 screenplay.

John Wick: Chapter 4 is set to come out on May 27, 2022, and we here at CinemaBlend will keep you updated on its progress. For now, stay apprised of this year’s cinematic offerings with our upcoming 2021 movies guide.

Superhero movies are arguably the most popular genre in the film world currently, capable of making an insane amount of money at the box office. As such, plenty of studios have gotten in on the action, resulting in plenty of exciting acting gigs. Actor Donnie Yen is starring in the upcoming Mulan remake, and recently stepped into the galaxy far, far away in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story-- but it turns out that he was also approached about a role in Aquaman. What's more, he was recruited by none other than Zack Snyder himself.

Aquaman was directed by James Wan, but the horror visionary didn't get to cast many of its main players. Zack Snyder had that privilege, as he assembled an ensemble cast for Justice League that was meant to set up spinoffs for all of its heroes. Snyder actually approached the legendary Donnie Yen while working on the ill-fated blockbuster. As Yen explained,

Donnie Yen might not have made his way to the big screen in a superhero role, but he certainly seems open to it. It just so happens that the timing didn't work out with Zack Snyder and presumably a role in Justice League.

Donnie Yen's comments to IGN are sure to confused and excite comic book fans, and likely start a few fan theories in the process. Aquaman's home of Atlantis didn't play a huge role in Justice League, as the villainous Steppenwolf quickly dispatched of Amber Heard's Mera and her forces, acquiring the Mother Box. But there was originally a longer sequence in the infamous #SnyderCut including another another Atlantean character who would appear in Aquaman.

While his role was cut from Justice League, Willem Dafoe did film come limited footage during Zack Snyder's time directing the blockbuster. His character Nuidis Vulko ended up on the cutting room floor, later debuting in Aquaman. So does that mean Snyder may have approached Donnie Yen for the same role? He likely would have been great as Vulko, and likely would have had a different approach than Dafoe.

Donnie Yen's film presence and following make him an asset on any film set, and he's shown his ability with complicated stunt work. So while he didn't end up having a role in Justice League or Aquaman, hopefully he'll eventually get to play another comic book character sometime within the DCEU. Warner Bros. is constantly expanding the property, so seemingly anything could happen.

Donnie Yen can be seen in Mulan on March 27th. In the meantime, check out our 2020 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Disney may not be the first name in martial arts epics, but it looks like that’s what the studio is poised to deliver with this month’s Mulan. Based on the trailers, Niki Caro’s movie looks like it would fit in alongside films like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Hero and House of Flying Daggers and Mulan even enlisted some martial arts icons to take part. In fact, one Mulan star was so quick with a sword, they had to shoot him in slow motion, as director Niki Caro recalls:

As anyone who has seen his work in the Ip Man films or even Rogue One: A Star Wars Story can attest Donnie Yen is fast. Watching him is like watching footage that’s been sped up or a videogame with a cheat code employed. But I suppose it’s one thing to see it in one of his movies and another to witness it in real life. That’s exactly what Mulan director Niki Caro got to do on the set of her film.

Donnie Yen plays Commander Tung in Mulan and as director Niki Caro told AsiaOne, the character performs some sort of sword display for his recruits. It sounds like it’s meant to impress the troops and show them their commander’s prowess, but the person it really impressed was Niki Caro. Donnie Yen’s movements and how fast he was with his sword blew the director away. He was so fast in fact that the tech couldn’t keep up!

According to Niki Caro, Donnie Yen was moving his sword so fast that it wasn’t even really visible in real-time. So in order to get a better sense of what he was doing exactly, the director had to shoot the sequence of Commander Tung’s sword display again, only this time, in slow motion. With Donnie Yen slowed down, Niki Caro was actually able to see every deliberate and quick movement that went into this blur of sword and body.

The experience of witnessing Donnie Yen’s abilities in person for the first time made for one of Niki Caro’s favorite moments on the set of Mulan and it sounds like Commander Tung’s sword display is definitely something to look forward to when this movie hits theaters.

I’m sure witnessing it in person is a special experience, but that Donnie Yen could impress with his martial arts abilities should come as no surprise. The 56-year-old action star trained from a young age in a variety of martial arts disciplines, including Wushu, which I’m guessing provided some of the basis for his sword display in Mulan.

You can witness Donnie Yen’s sword skills for yourself when Mulan opens in theaters on March 27 in what should be the beginning of a huge opening weekend. Check out our 2020 Release Schedule to see what other movies you can look forward to this year.

Over the course of eight movies, plus a recent spin-off, the Fast & Furious franchise went from being a B/C-rate Point Break rip-off with cars to one of the most exciting, enthusiastic, and profitable movie franchises in modern cinema. That doesn't happen accidentally. It's through the persistence, talent, and willingness of the filmmakers to go balls-to-the-walls nutty that this franchise has kicked itself into high gear. That madness continues with this year's Fast & Furious 9 (i.e. F9), which could be the penultimate chapter in this prolonged car-friendly, action-oriented movie series. Should that be the case, then it should be the priority of the filmmakers involved to stack the cast of the tenth movie with a variety of major superstars.

There are a lot of acting legends who would be wonderful for this fast and furious series, and we've rounded up a list of 13 megastars who we think should be considered for the final installment. Certainly, the likelihood of some of these superstars appearing in the 10th Fast & Furious movie are slim. But can't we dream? This franchise is all about defying the odds. Without further ado, here's who we'd like to see inside the Fast & Furious franchise.

Keanu Reeves

Much like the Fast & Furious franchise, Keanu Reeves was once seen as kind of a joke in pop culture until he proved himself in a major way. While he was a seasoned action star with movies like Speed and The Matrix trilogy, it was the John Wick franchise that really pushed Reeves into superstar territory. He knows how to commit himself to impressive stunts and action choreography, and he has a good sense of humor about himself, as made evident by his years of making comedies. Plus, the John Wick series also proves that he knows how to drive stylish cars. It'd be an easy win for Reeves and the Fast & Furious franchise. I'd love to see the busy A-list actor find a way to make an appearance in the 10th Fast & Furious movie.

Zoe Saldana

In case you haven't noticed, Zoe Saldana has lent her talents to damn nearly every major, money-making movie franchise out there in the 21st century. Her involvement in Avatar, the MCU, and Star Trek have turned the actress into a very lucrative performer, and Saldana should continue this trend by appearing in the Fast & Furious franchise. The actress has the action chops to pull it off, as she proven in Colombiana and The Losers, in addition to the films mentioned above, and she would only be a blessing to a franchise that continues to bring in the dough after 10 movies. If she were able to make the time in her busy schedule to make it work, she'd certainly be a great addition to the family, and she would help to make the series only more success.

Nicolas Cage

At their best, the Fast & Furious movies are wild at heart and drive angry. They like to keep things bonkers and kooky, and who better to bring things up to another level than Nicolas Cage? The Academy Award-winning actor is a one-of-a-kind talent, and his signature blend of absurd brilliance shouldn't be dismissed (even though, admittedly, he has starred in a few not-so-great movies over the years). The man is a genius in the right role, and he's also more self-aware than he seems — much like the Fast & Furious franchise (before everyone caught on to its pumped-up energy). The sole practitioner of nouveau shamanic can really drive thing up a notch or ten, and it would play to Fast & Furious' ultimate benefit to get Cage in Rage mode. Possibly as a villain? There are certainly lots of possibilities at play with Nicolas Cage in the Fast & Furious films. Let's give a go and find out!

Danny Trejo

With 397 acting credits (and counting!) on his IMDb page, there's no denying that Danny Trejo is one of the hardest working actors in the moviemaking business. Yet, the Machete actor hasn't made an appearance in the Fast & Furious franchise. That's a shame because, if he were given the chance, it would be to everyone's benefit. The action actor is one of the roughest, toughest working actors out there, and he can be funny as can be as well. The actor is seemingly game for anything, and that would certainly work in F&F's favor. Whether it's a major role or a brief appearance, he would be a welcome presence.

Samuel L. Jackson

Samuel L. Jackson is one of the most famous, hard-working actors in Hollywood. He has appeared in a lot of big movies over the years, most notably the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It's rather surprising, then, that Jackson has not been courted (so far as we know, at least) for the Fast & Furious films. It would make a good deal of sense. The actor can command great gravitas, but he's also very self-aware and extremely funny. The Snakes on a Plane star should have no problem challenging the goofy tone of the long-driving series, though the Oscar-nominated A-list actor would need to limit his four-letter vocabulary in this PG-13 movie series. No matter. Even if he can't use his signature curse words, Jackson would kick a lot of ass in here.

Salma Hayek

A well-proven talent with a lot of experience in action and comedy to boot, Salma Hayek would make a wonderful addition to the Fast & Furious films. The performer has what it takes to sell any sort of role in the popular movie franchise, and she could lend her skills to any number of different roles. If the producers behind Fast & Furious were smart, they could have Salma Hayek be either a long-lost member of the family, a stealthy new member of the heist-loving team, or a villainous part. Or something else. Get creative! Certainly, Hayek has the range to ace any character she'd be given in here.

Dave Bautista

With the Fast & Furious franchise set to come to its rip-roaring end with its 10th installment (or eleventh, depending on whether or not you could the spin-off, Hobbs & Shaw), there are a lot of actors who want in on the pie. Nevertheless, Dave Bautista isn't one of them. When asked if he wanted to part of the franchise on social media, his response was, well ... less-than-enthusiastic. Yet, the professional wrestler/Guardians of the Galaxy actor has certainly surprised us in the past. With The Rock and John Cena involved in the series, it wouldn't be out-of-the-question to get Bautista involved. But it would probably take some convincing, which might be difficult. Nevertheless, if the muscle-bound actor gets involved, his mix of action experience and comedy chops would play to the franchise's advantage. Some folks want him to play a villain, but I'd rather see Bautista work his magic in the Toretto family.

Daniel Radcliffe

Ever since his finished his decade-long commitment playing the title boy wizard in the Harry Potter series, Daniel Radcliffe has used his celebrity and high profile to make some bold and audacious movies. Think Horns, the excellent Swiss Army Man, and the forthcoming Guns Akimbo. This is a clear sign that Radcliffe wants to push himself in weird and wild directions as an actor, and that would make him an excellent addition to the Fast & Furious franchise. The actor has publicly expressed interest in joining the series, though he made the caveat that he'd have to play a non-driving character in the films. That should (hopefully) not be a problem. The actor could play anyone from a mysterious tech villain or a comedic relief rider in the midst of the action. Certainly, Radcliffe has the range to play an assortment of different characters in the franchise. Hopefully, they will find a way to put him in.

Donnie Yen

A major international superstar, Donnie Yen finally got his overdue recognition stateside with Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, and the actor should be given another major American movie franchise to prove his talents. Enter Fast & Furious. While the action-comedy series excels at dangerous stunts and car-related mayhem, the action choreography can sometimes be lacking in comparison. But that certainly wouldn't be a problem should Donnie Yen should the scene. The martial arts star knows how to kick butt and takes names, and his talents would only benefit the money-making franchise. Most especially when it comes to its international appeal. Though, of course, with Yen involved, everyone wins, right?

Arnold Schwarzenegger

At his peak, Arnold Schwarzenegger was one of the biggest movie stars on the planet. The actor/politician has one of the most recognizable faces in the entertainment industry, and he's built his career not only from being a larger-than-life action star but owning up to his figure and atypical size with a good, knowing sense of humor. Those qualities would play wonderfully in the Fast & Furious movies. The series has only gotten better as it has gotten more tongue-in-cheek goofy, and Schwarzenegger's big, beefy presence would definitely play to the series' advantage. Can you imagine a fight sequence between Vin Diesel and Arnold Schwarzenegger? How awesome would it be to hear one of Schwarzenegger's signature catchphrases after he performs a (CG-created) high-speed action sequence? There are many great opportunities to be found with Schwarzenegger in these movies.

Jackie Chan

Jackie Chan is a legend. The martial arts superstar is one of the biggest movie stars in the world for a damn good reason, and the dedicated, proven superstar has whatever it takes to pull off the comedy, action, and dangerous stunts audiences expect to find in a Fast & Furious movie. He's gifted in every category, even as he gets older, and he would provide a lively, enthusiastic presence in this ultra-successful franchise. Get Jackie Chan in there!

Tom Cruise

Admittedly, the chances of Tom Cruise making time to appear in a Fast & Furious movie are not very high. The A-list actor is exceptionally busy with the last couple Mission: Impossible movies, and he might not want to play second-fiddle in an action-comedy ensemble that doesn't find him at the forefront. Nevertheless, should fate allow it to happen, Tom Cruise would make a great addition to the Fast & Furious franchise. The actor clearly loves to test fate with his dangerous stunts, and the superstar already proved back in1990's Days Of Thunder (and, more recently, in 2012's Jack Reacher) that he knows how to drive a slick and stylish car. Can you imagine if Fast & Furious found a way to go into Cruise Control? (You see what I did there?)

Meryl Streep

Hear me out: the Fast & Furious franchise has always prided itself on upping the ante and steering in ridiculous directions. It loves to put the pedal to the metal and go nuts at any given opportunity, whether it involves gravity-defying stunts, breaking any law of possibility, and casting some wild stars. In The Fate of the Furious, moviegoers were delightfully surprised to see Helen Mirren join the fun in an entertaining supporting turn. When it comes to the future of Fast & Furious, it would be in the franchise's best interest to add another high-caliber, Oscar-winning acting legend into the fold. Why not go big and ask Meryl Streep to join? After years of making serious-minded dramas (and the Mamma Mia movies), Streep could use this opportunity to cut loose and have fun. She deserves it, and it'd give the Fast & Furious series the pedigree that it deserves. At the very least, it would not hurt to ask.

Who are some acting megastars that you'd love to see lend their talents to the Fast & Furious franchise? Let us know in the comments below!

Following a long-running history of successfully bringing legendary tales to life through animation and music, Disney just couldn't resist a little reflection on their classics. The studio's live-action remakes started with 2010's Alice in Wonderland and has since turned into a full-blown creative venture to recreate much of the library of its animated films including Cinderella, The Jungle Book and The Beauty and the Beast.

With the incredible success of these massive live-action releases, Disney, of course, isn't stopping there, with tons of the company's familiar stories hitting the screen in the future, including a new iteration of the legendary Chinese folktale first explored by the studio in 1998's Mulan. Disney's upcoming live-action Mulan is set to be a full-scale martial arts epic, which looks to position itself further from its animated classic than the live action remakes that came before.

Curious about what the House of Mouse has in store for the upcoming Mulan? It's not as mysterious as the dark side of the moon. We've got you covered with this guide on everything we know so far about the live-action Mulan below:

What Is Mulan's Release Date?

When a live-action Mulan was originally announced back in 2015, it was given a November 2018 release date. The project moved a bit slower than initially expected and was pushed back a full year and a half in early 2018. Disney's Nutcracker and the Four Realms took its spot, with Mulan now set to charge theaters on March 27, 2020. With 2019 incredibly packed with live-action Disney releases, and two other '90s films, The Lion King and Aladdin, being revisited over summer, it's a clever move for the studio to place Mulan there instead. Currently, the Disney film will open next to Hasbro and Paramount Pictures' planned G.I. Joe reboot. Considering the badass warrior's track record, I think she can take on a few soldiers opening weekend, don't you?

What Will Mulan Be Rated?

Disney's recent live-action remakes have been consistently PG to cater to the entire family and still allow some leeway for elements such as fantasy action and some frightening sequences. Mulan is a Disney Princess that needs to be marketable to children of young ages and the studio's formula for live-action PG flicks have worked quite well for them so far. Considering Mulan has its titular heroine in the middle of a historical war, the film could potentially become the first PG-13 film of its kind if Disney chooses to. A grittier PG-13 Mulan from Disney would certainly be an interesting and exciting sight to see, and it would still draw large audiences. The studio does go for PG-13 ratings for its Marvel and Star Wars endeavors, though Mulan's rating is more likely to be PG.

Who Will Direct Mulan?

Disney's new Mulan found its director in early 2017 with New Zealand filmmaker Niki Caro at the project's center. Caro first gained prominence for her work on Whale Rider in 2002, which was a story about a young Maori girl who aspires to be the chief of her tribe. She helmed North Country in 2005, which scored Charlize Theron and Frances McDormand Oscar nominations, and most recently made The Zookeeper's Wife in 2017. The director worked with Disney before on 2015's McFarland, USA, a Kevin Costner-led sports drama about a high school cross-country team. With Mulan, Caro becomes the second female director to be hired by Disney to direct a movie exceeding a $100 million budget, after Ava DuVernay's A Wrinkle in Time. Caro has a highly-impressive resume as a director and having a woman's eye on a legendary female-fronted tale is a good move by the studio.

Who Is Writing Mulan?

The live-action Mulan recruited a team of four writers for the upcoming release, with Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver, Lauren Hynek and Elizabeth Martin penciled in as screenwriters. Jaffa and Silver have collaborated on huge box office hits such as 2015's Jurassic World and the most recent trilogy of Planet of the Apes movies. The pair are an exciting choice for Mulan as they have successfully brought beloved franchises into the present and on a larger scale. Hynek and Martin are also a screenwriting pair, though lesser-known, since they have only penned a 2018 Lifetime Christmas movie called Christmas Perfection. The blend of these talents is definitely a unique combination, though for a film so embedded in Chinese culture, it may be worth noting that none of them are of Asian descent.

What Is The Live-Action Mulan Story?

At its core, Mulan will follow a story we are familiar with -- a young woman who disguises herself as a male warrior to take her father's place in battle in order to save him. Unlike other live-action remakes, Mulan looks to be changing up quite a few key elements found in the 1998 film, which is contrary to the live-action retellings we've recently seen from Disney. The upcoming film will not have the heroine facing off against the leader of the Hun Army, Shan Yu, or falling in love with her captain, Li Shang. She will instead be up against a powerful witch and find love with a fellow solider in her unit, along with there being a new Commander character created for the film to serve as her mentor.

Will Mulan Be A Musical?

Disney animated classics such as Mulan will always be remembered for catchy and memorable songs such as "Reflection" and "I'll Make a Man Out of You," although, so far, only the live-action Beauty and the Beast has opted to be a full-fledged musical. When Niki Caro originally said that there would be no songs in the live-action Mulan many fans on Twitter were outraged. This wasn't the final word from Caro about the music, though, and she later confirmed that music will play a role in the movie, but how much? Considering how Mulan seems to be veering quite a bit from the animated classic, don't expect to see the whole soundtrack back on screen. But, it would be tough for the studio to pass on an opportunity to implement a beautifully iconic song like "Reflection" and / or introduce some new ones, as well.

Mulan

After a team of Disney casting directors conducted a year-long search, traveling across five continents and seeing nearly 1000 candidates, Chinese star Liu Yifei (also known as Crystal Liu) won the role of Hua Mulan. The 31-year-old actress has had a career in both China and America as an actress, model and brand ambassador. Liu is fluent in English and has been in Hollywood films, including 2008's The Forbidden Kingdom opposite Jet Li and Jackie Chan and 2014's Outcast which also starred Nicolas Cage and Hayden Christensen. When Mulan began filming a few months ago, fans were given a first look at Liu as Mulan striking a familiar pose. She looks to embody the character well, balancing her strength, beauty and intellect. Early concerns about Disney whitewashing the character or giving the role to any Asian actress arose but with Liu's casting, it looks like the studio did their homework to find a believable Mulan.

Mushu

What's a Disney musical without a cute and quick-witted animal sidekick to ease the tension of their hero's journey? For 1998's Mulan, her sidekick was a pocket-sized dragon named Mushu who acted as her spirit guardian and was voiced by Eddie Murphy. While fans have suggested Murphy resume the role in a dragon suit amongst an otherwise completely racially-correct cast, we don't know too much about Mushu's role in the live-action Mulan. The lovable dragon will reportedly be part of the film, but a voice role for the character has not been cast. (Or revealed?) For a more true-to-life Mulan film, the filmmakers would likely take a more culturally-accurate approach to the character or include him in as an easter egg to the original, such as how the mice in the live-action Cinderella were included.

Yao, Ling And Chien Po

When Mulan finds herself in a military training camp, she encounters a trio of misfit soldiers, the high-tempered Yao, goofball Ling and soft-hearted Po. In the beginning, she rubs them the wrong way when she tries to prove her masculinity by punching Yao in the face, which leads to a camp-wide fight, but they warm up to her as the movie progresses. Each of these familiar characters have also been cast in the new Mulan with Chen Tang playing Yao, Jimmy Wong as Ling and Doua Moua as Chein Po. Tang is a television actor who has appeared in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, Grey's Anatomy and Amazon's Bosch. Wong is best known for his role in the digital series Video Game High School along with John Dies in the End and his highly-popular online cooking show Feast of Fiction and Moua has appeared in Gran Torino, Blue Bloods and Iron Fist. Mulan will certainly mark the actors highest profile films to date and will likely bring some comedic relief to the epic.

Li Shang?

Let's get down to business, because this is where things start to sway from the Mulan we know. In the 1998 film, Captain Li Shang is a tough leader of the military unit who challenges the soldiers through a rigorous training process. While Mulan (who first goes by Ping) starts off on his bad side, they start really getting along when she becomes a highly-skilled soldier, only to crush his dreams when he finds out she's a woman. It's a story arc loved by the LGBT community for its hints of bisexuality (which were unintended by Disney), though it is a relationship built on lies and Li Shang isn't exactly a feminist. There won't be a live-action Li Shang in the upcoming Mulan, as it seems he is being split into two characters.

Donnie Yen has been cast as a fresh character named Commander Tung, who will serve as Mulan's mentor and teacher. Yen is best known for his role in Rogue One, the Ip Man films and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Yoson An will be playing another new character named Chen Honghui, a fellow soldier who is described as a confident and ambitious recruit to Tung's unit. He will become the most important ally to Mulan and then flourish into a love interest. The actor was recently in The Meg and has a role in the Peter Jackson-produced Mortal Engines.

The Villians

Among Disney's famed antagonists, Mulan's Shan-Yu is one of the most forgettable. The leader of the Hun army is ruthless and intimidating but he was given very little to do and wasn't carefully developed. Perhaps this is why the next iteration of the story will feature completely new villains, with the main antagonist being a powerful witch named Xian Lang, played by Gong Li. The actress also played the main baddie in Memoirs of a Geisha in 2005 to much acclaim. Her inclusion adds an element of magic to Mulan not before seen, perhaps creating new circumstances for the army. Jason Scott Lee is also joining Mulan as Bori Khan who is a warrior leader seeking to avenge his father's death and who aligns himself with Xian Lang. Lee is best known for his portrayal of Bruce Lee in 1993's Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story and his voice role of David in Lilo & Stitch.

The Emperor

Disney has cast Jet Li as the Emperor of China in the upcoming live-action Mulan. Li is one of the most prominent Chinese actors to grace Hollywood, starting with his debut in 1998's Lethal Weapon 4. In the early '00s he made a name for himself as a martial artist action hero, most recently appearing in The Expendables movies. In the studio's first Mulan, the emperor gives the order for one male from each household being drafted into the army and makes a brief appearance in the end of the film, when Mulan and some of the soldiers defeat Shan Yu. Perhaps he will be given a larger role in this film? Li and Liu Yifei (Mulan) have worked alongside each other before, in 2008's The Forbidden Kingdom.

More Mulan Characters

The live-action Mulan looks to be bringing a blend of what we know from the animated classic with some completely brand new story elements and characters. Along with what we've discussed thus far, the movie will also feature Mulan's sister Hua Xiu played by New Zealand born Chinese-Vietnamese actress Xana Tang, a role not found in the 1998 film. Utkarsh Ambudkar and Chum Ehelepola will also play a con artist duo, respectively named Skatch and Ramtish. Ambudkar has held roles in The Mindy Project and Pitch Perfect and Ehelepola is best known for 2012's A Moody Christmas. There's certainly a lot in store for Mulan in 2020, with a jam-packed cast that has loads to offer the Disney live-action remake.

As far as major film franchises go, there are none quite as massively popular as Star Wars. George Lucas' colorful and beloved world has been passed down across the generations, resulting in a massive fanbase that is all too happy to shell out money with each new release. And while the galaxy far, far away is woven into American pop culture, it doesn't carry the same weight internationally. The China market, which has become a saving grace for many blockbusters, is thoroughly disinterested in the Star Wars franchise, despite it being just about the biggest property in the world. Rogue One actor Donnie Yen is from Honk Kong, and recently spoke to the disconnection between Chinese audiences and the Star Wars franchise as a whole:

Sometimes show business is just about public opinion and word of mouth. And without decades of Star Wars installments and phrases like "I am your father" being repeated ad nauseam, it's hard to get the Chinese audience excited about the series we know so well.

Donnie Yen's comments to JoBlo get to the heart of the problem, and Star Wars' lack of significant performance in the Eastern market. While Star Wars has consistently broken records and dominated at the box office since it returned to theaters with The Force Awakens, Chinese audiences aren't flocking to the theaters. And although Lucasfilm has pulled out all the stops with bold marketing choices, the money simply isn't there.

This can be especially seen with Rian Johnson's Star Wars: The Last Jedi. The subversive sequel may have divided fans, but Chinese audiences were largely unenthused. The Last Jedi lost at the box office in its opening weekend in China, and only a month later, there were almost no more theaters showing it. In fact, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom made the same amount of gross with its opening weekend in China than The Last Jedi's entire haul.

While the Chinese market hasn't been a friend to the galaxy far, far away, there are plenty of movies that have found a saving grace with eastern audiences. One major example is 2016's Warcraft. While it had a disappointing box office performance in America, it resonated with Chinese moviegoers, and the flick made a insane $145 million in four days. The Rock's recent action movie Skyscraper was also saved from box office disaster in China, as it made $75 million during its opening weekend.

The next installment in the Star Wars franchise is J.J. Abrams' untitled sequel Episode IX on December 20th 2019. In the meantime, check out our 2018 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Disney has a large library of animated movies, and many of the ones from before the year 2000 have either been adapted for live action in recent years or will receive such treatment in the future. We can count Mulan on this list, and while we'll have to wait a little longer for it to arrive in theaters, the Mouse House is moving ahead with assembling the cast. Until today, the only actor who'd been cast in the live action Mulan movie was Liu Yifei, a.k.a. Crystal Liu, who will play the eponymous protagonist. Now word has come in that one of her co-stars will be Rogue One: A Star Wars Story's Donnie Yen.

According to Deadline, Donnie Yen has been cast in Mulan as Commander Tung, who will be the heroine's mentor and teacher. While Yen, an accomplished martial artist, is arguably most famous internationally for starring in the Ip Man film series, American audiences likely know him best for playing the blind warrior Chirrut Îmwe in Rogue One. With Yen now part of the Mulan cast, this marks his second collaboration with the Disney "family." Yen's other recent cinematic appearances include Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny and xXx: Return of Xander Cage.

Donnie Yen was one of Rogue One's highlights, so I'm looking forward to seeing him as one of Mulan's principal characters. It is worth noting, though, that there wasn't a Commander Tung in Disney's original Mulan. In the animated movie, Mulan served directly under Captain Li Shang, and his father, General Li, briefly appeared, but was later slaughtered alongside his troops by Shan Yu's army. Disney's recent live action adaptations have varied from being relatively straightforward remakes to taking major creative liberties. It's too soon to tell which camp Mulan falls into, but the addition of this Commander Tung at least indicates that this won't be exactly like the Mulan we watched on the big screen 20 years ago.

Disney's live action Mulan movie was first announced back in 2015, and in February of 2017, The Zookeeper's Wife director Niki Caro was tapped to helm the adaptation. Caro will be the second female director Disney has hired to direct a movie with a budget exceeding $100 million, Ava DuVernay preceding her with A Wrinkle in Time. While music will still play an important role in the new Mulan movie, it remains to be seen if this project will be a musical like the animated tale or go in a different direction.

Mulan will be released in theaters on March 27, 2020, putting it in competition with Paramount Pictures' G.I. Joe reboot that opening weekend. Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more updates about the movie, and if you're curious what other live action adaptations Disney has in the works, check out our handy guide.

Last year, I had the incredible fortune of sitting with the stars of Star Wars: The Force Awakens prior to the blockbuster's release, and during each of those conversations I asked each of them their favorite and least favorite part of the whole process. Each of them provided diverse and fun answers, which gave a great glimpse into what what the unique experience was like. So, naturally, when I sat down with the cast of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story earlier this month, I took the opportunity to ask the same question.

During the San Francisco press day for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, I spoke with Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Riz Ahmed, Alan Tudyk, Donnie Yen, Mads Mikkelson and Ben Mendelsohn, and got all of them talking about their favorite and least favorite parts of making the movie. Check out their answers below and on the next few pages!

Felicity Jones

Before entering the Star Wars universe, Felicity Jones was primarily known for her work in serious drama (her Oscar-winning performance in The Theory Of Everything being a prime example), so when it came to making Rogue One, her favorite bit was diving into the action. The actress told me that she had a great deal of fun working with the stunt team and making the film's action sequences authentic. The downside of the production for Jones was just the rough conditions that many of the film's environments had to offer -- but it certainly sounds like it was a tough time that was worth it in the end.

Diego Luna

Of all the Rogue One actors I talked to, Diego Luna had far and away the most apparent enthusiasm for his time in the world of Star Wars - and that was fully reflected in his answer to my question and favorite and least favorite moments. He was clearly overtaken with joy any time he was surrounded by the world of the classic sci-fi saga, and he never wanted any of it to end. Literally his least favorite part of production was whenever Gareth Edwards would always say 'Cut' at the end of a shot.

Alan Tudyk & Riz Ahmed

Alan Tudyk didn't always have to get into the tougher stuff in Rogue One (an extended rainy sequence seeing K-2SO staying indoors), but Riz Ahmed found that flying around in spaceships wasn't always the most comfortable thing. Similar to Oscar Isaac's experience making Star Wars: The Force Awakens, he quickly found out that it can make you just a bit ill to stay in one for too long. At least they got to be in some amazing places while they were filming!

Donnie Yen

Donnie Yen found his favorite and least favorite parts of making Rogue One: A Star Wars Story orbiting the same arena. As cool as it is making a Star Wars movie, it is also hard work when you're doing a lot of stunt and action work in rough environments -- which is why Yen felt a sense of relief when it all came together. As for his least favorite part of the production, the thing that was hardest for him was just being away from his family during the many months of shooting. Surely getting to go back to them made the aforementioned last day of filming that much sweeter.

Mads Mikkelson & Ben Mendelsohn

Like Diego Luna, Mads Mikkelson wasn't shy about expressing his Star Wars love and getting to wear his "fanboy hat" while making Rogue One (taking off that hat when diving into the material as an actor). Impressively, that left him with zero complaints and nothing to qualify as his "least favorite" thing about making the movie. Similarly, Ben Mendelsohn felt it was an honor just to be a part of this legendary franchise, while also admitting that keeping so many secrets about the production wasn't his favorite thing to do.

It's an awesome time to be a Star Wars fan. When Disney bought out Lucasfilm back in October of 2012, they laid out a plan to expand the world George Lucas created to a degree we've never seen before. They may have scrapped all of the Expanded Universe material that accumulated over the years (or at least decreed that it's not official canon), but they're working their tails off to fill in that void with projects like the upcoming Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

At this point, we already have new novels, an animated television series in Star Wars Rebels, a handful of comic book titles from Marvel, and, of course, J.J. Abrams' Star Wars: The Force Awakens. All of the expanded universe stuff is great, but the movies are what fans really want to see, and in addition to a new trilogy of interconnected saga movies, we're getting a series of standalone, so-called, "anthology" films that examine unexplored areas of the Star Wars saga, illuminating various corners of that far, far away galaxy.

Within these anthology movies, which have also been called "Star Wars Stories," we'll get to peer into the hidden crevices of this universe we love so much, explore different times and places, and possibly learn about events we've only ever heard about. The first of these is Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, and we have a lot of questions. Who is going to star? What will it be about? Will we see familiar characters? Will this impact/be impacted by the other films? Let's take a look at what we know about Rogue One so far.

First, let's take a look at the newest trailer!

And now let's break down what we know about the latest Star Wars feature, starting with:

What Is The Star Wars: Rogue One Release Date?

As mentioned earlier, it's a good time to be a Star Wars fan. In addition to the surplus of other officially canon material, which includes everything from TV shows to comics and video games like Star Wars: Battlefront, we're getting at least one movie a year for the foreseeable future - alternating between Episode titles like Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and Anthology chapters, like Star Wars: Rogue One. Star Wars movies have, up to this point, traditionally arrived in theaters in May of their respective years of release. The Force Awakens changed that trend, however, and was a huge winter blockbuster in December 2015. For now, the franchise will stick to this schedule, as Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is scheduled to be released almost exactly one year after, with a December 16, 2016 release date on the calendar.

From the look of things, there won't necessarily be a ton of consistency release date-wise with the upcoming films. Rian Johnson's Star Wars: Episode VIII, which doesn't currently have a title, will also be a pre-Christmas release, coming out on December 15, 2017. Less than six months later, specifically on May 25, 2018, audiences will be treated to Phil Lord and Chris Miller's Han Solo film - and then Colin Trevorrow's Star Wars: Episode IX will come out a year after that (on May 24, 2019).

What Is The Star Wars: Rogue One Rating?

Films don't typically get their official rating until just a few weeks before they open, so, since we still have some months to wait before Star Wars: Rogue One hits theaters, we aren't completely sure of the rating just yet. But, the Star Wars movies have a long history of PG or PG-13 ratings, so you can bet that this film will be in line with that track record. Star Wars: The Force Awakens had a PG-13 rating, and it's even more likely that Rogue One will carry the same rating when it opens this December.

The Director

Pretty much the first thing we learned about Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, even well before the title was revealed, was that Gareth Edwards was going to direct. Edwards only has two feature directorial efforts under his belt, but they certainly made an impact. His first film, 2010's micro-budget Monsters, is a tense, unique take on the creature feature - one where the filmmaker handled all the visual effects himself. While that movie wasn't exactly a blockbuster hit, Edwards' talent caught the eye of Hollywood, and he was given the reins of 2014's Godzilla revamp. His attempt to bring the King of the Monsters back to the metroplex was a rousing success.

These two very different films showcase a varied skill set that should serve Edwards well on Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. He's shown he can tell a character-driven story, as well as one that relies on action, large-scale special effects, and spectacle - and both of those elements will come in handy in deep space. In Monsters, the titular beasts are relegated to the background, adding an extra layer of mood and tone to the story that is really about two people wandering the wilderness. This shows that he has the ability to get you emotionally invested in the people onscreen, without relying solely on flash to keep your attention. While Star Wars has always been full of eye candy, it's the characters that stick with you.

What Is The Star Wars: Rogue One Story?

We've been hearing rumors about the plot of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story since the earliest stages of development, with whispers of rebels, a daring heist, and an Ocean's Eleven-style ensemble of characters coming together to pull off a job. At Star Wars Celebration 2014, we got confirmation that some of that is correct. The story follows a band of rebel fighters who steal the plans for the first Death Star. That definitely covers the heist element, not to mention it sets the action in the time between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, as resistance to the Galactic Empire begins to build momentum.

While this links the story to the main narrative thrust of the Star Wars saga, it also looks like it might do something no movie in the franchise has ever done: focus on normal people in the universe. The Jedi mythos has figured prominently into every extant Star Wars film, and while we've seen and encountered non-powered people, with the exception of Han Solo, they've never really taken center stage. If nothing else, this is going to be a drastically different view of this universe in which we've spent so much time, and it's been promised that, while most of the Saga has been rather black and white, Rogue One is one big shade of gray in terms of who is right and who is wrong in the rebellion against the Galactic Empire.

Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones)

When the cast for J.J. Abrams' Star Wars: The Force Awakens was first announced, one of the immediate reactions was that there were only a few female characters. Obviously the release of the blockbuster revealed that Daisy Ridley's Rey will be the central hero of the new saga trilogy, but those won't be the only new movies featuring strong female leads. The first actor confirmed to be in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story was Felicity Jones, and it will be through her eyes that we see the movie's story unfold. In addition to popping up in 2014's The Amazing Spider-Man 2, the 31-year-old British actress received an Academy Award nomination for her role as Jane Hawking in the biopic The Theory of Everything.

As for the character that Felicity Jones will be playing, the first teaser trailer for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story does a pretty fantastic job giving us a bit of backstory for Jyn Erso. On her own since she was a teenager, she is a fighter with very little appreciation for authority - which leads her to find a home for herself in the rebellion. The footage we've seen seems to suggest that she'll be undergoing a bit of training in the movie, but it also sounds like she will have a key role in the heist of the Death Star plans.

The Leading Men

Felicity Jones is the central protagonist of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, but the nature of the film's story demands a fairly large ensemble of actors - and that's exactly what the production has collected. During Walt Disney's D23 Expo in August of 2015, the studio confirmed a number of the main members of the cast. This is a list that includes:

Diego Luna

Ben Mendelsohn

Donnie Yen

Jiang Wen

Forest Whitaker

Mads Mikkelsen

Alan Tudyk

Riz Ahmed

Very little is known about most of the characters that the actors are playing in the movie, but some information has leaked out and been revealed in footage. For example, it's been reported that Alan Tudyk won't be featured in the movie in person, but instead will be providing a motion capture performance (playing a droid called K-2SO). Additionally, Mads Mikkelsen will not be playing a villain in the movie (a nice break for him), and will reportedly be Galen - who may be Jyn Erso's father.

Instead of Mikkelsen, it instead seems as though the central villain of the film will be Director Orson Krennic, played by actor Ben Mendelsohn. Almost nothing has been revealed about this character yet, though we do know that he is a high-ranking member of the Galactic Empire, and that he looks damn good in a space cape.

It's also been revealed that the character being played by Forest Whitaker has an interesting bit of history. In Rogue One: A Star Wars Story he will be playing Saw Gerrera - which is a name that fans of the animated Clone Wars television show should recognize. Gerrera, paired with his sister Steela, were featured in four episodes of the series' fifth season, and they were rebels who fought alongside the central heroes, Anakin Skywalker, Obi-wan Kenobi, and the young Ahsoka Tano. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is set 20 years after those events, so it will be interesting to learn exactly what he's been up to since then.

What 'Anthology' Means

You have probably noticed by now that Rogue One is being called an "anthology" film. When you think of what normally constitutes an anthology film, you generally call to mind films made up of multiple chapters - essentially a series of connected short films (with the V/H/S and ABCs of Death series, there has been a glut of such projects in horror lately). The Star Wars franchise is tweaking that definition slightly, and basically using the word "Anthology" to mean "Stories Told Outside Of The Central Saga."

This classification sets Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and the films that will follow it apart from the "Episodes," and while the events will impact the continuity of the Star Wars universe (obviously stealing the Death Star plans plays a big role) they're markedly different from what has come before. We've so far seen the journey of the Skywalker family in the films, and the Anthology films will tell stories just outside of that realm. It also appears these movies will explore side stories that appear to have less focus on the Force and the Jedi.

In addition to Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, LucasFilm and Disney are developing two other Anthology projects, set to come out in 2018 and 2020, respectively. The first, which is set to be directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller, is the untitled Han Solo movie, starring Alden Ehrenreich as the younger version of Harrison Ford's legendary smuggler character. The third project, which has yet to reveal its central subject, was going to be directed by Josh Trank, but has been in stasis ever since the film and the filmmaker parted ways in 2015.

Familiar Characters

As mentioned earlier, a significant part of the raison d'etre for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is to tell the stories of characters not necessarily directly related to the Skywalker clan and the central Star Wars saga. Of course, that doesn't mean that the film won't have a handful of recognizable faces from previous chapters in the franchise. We've already talked about Forest Whitaker's role as Saw Gerrera from Clone Wars, and the first trailer showed that Genevieve O'Reilly will be reprising her role as Rebel leader Mon Mothma from Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (the character first played by Caroline Blakiston in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. But they won't be the only familiar faces that we see in Gareth Edwards' blockbuster.

It was first confirmed in the trailer shown at Star Wars Celebration 2016 that Rogue One: A Star Wars Story will feature the big screen return of one of the most iconic villains in cinema history: Darth Vader. Unfortunately, because the footage only featured the Sith Lord's breathing and a reflection of his image, it wasn't exactly informative in terms of what role the great antagonist will play. As shown in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, he is definitely in the mix once the Death Star plans get stolen, intercepting Princess Leia on the Tantive IV, but we don't really now how he will be involved while the mission is actually happening.

Another character who fans will very likely be excited to see return for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is a key figure from George Lucas' prequel movies: Senator Bail Organa. Played by Jimmy Smits, Organa was first introduced in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, and while he obviously sits in an important political position within the fictional universe, fans mostly recognize him for something else: he is Princess Leia's adopted father. Smits has gone on record about his role in Rogue One, calling it both a "cameo" and a "small part," so obviously we're still very much in the dark about his larger role in the film.

John Williams

For many of us, John Williams and his rousing scores are practically synonymous with Star Wars. If you need a reminder of just how important his work is to these movies, just check out this scene from A New Hope without his signature sound. While the 83-year-old composer was back to contribute to The Force Awakens, he will not work on any of the Anthology movies. Consequently, we won't hear his soaring themes in Star Wars: Rogue One, making it the first Star Wars movie to hit theaters without a Williams score.

While he may be no John Williams, Gareth Edwards and company have found a strong replacement in Academy Award-winning composer Alexandre Desplat. He and Edwards worked together on Godzilla, and there are few composers out there as celebrated. He walked away with an Oscar in 2015 for his work on Wes Anderson's The Grand Budapest Hotel - and he was actually competing against himself in that race, as he was also nominated for his contribution to The Imitation Game. It will be interesting to see if he puts his own unique stamp on Star Wars with Rogue One, or if he attempts to channel John Williams.

Vin Diesel has provided an update on the third instalment to the XXX franchise. Unfortunately, it’s not the best of news though, as it’s been revealed that Jet Li has left the production. But, before this departure could sink XXX: The Return Of Xander Cage into anything close to a crisis, it was confirmed that Donnie Yen has replaced Li, which isn't the worst trade off.

Rather mysteriously though, sources close to Twitch Film revealed that Jet Li left the project for undisclosed reasons. But with the martial arts superstar off the production, there was now a gaping hole for Vin Diesel and company to fill. And The Last Witch Hunter actor didn’t miss a beat in casting Donnie Yen as Jet Li’s replacement. Diesel also took to Facebook to show an image of himself, Donnie Yen, and director D.J. Caruso working on a scene.

Donnie Yen long ago established himself as one of the most formidable martial arts actors in cinema thanks to his work in the Ip Man franchise and countless other action films. His stock has been rising in the United States recently, and 2016 is expected to be a rather big year for him. Not only is he taking one of the leading roles in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon II: The Green Legend, but he also has a prominent part in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story .

The Donnie Yen and Jet Li merry-go-round at XXX 3 doesn’t mean that the production is in disarray though. The film’s already confirmed roster hasn’t changed much, with Vin Diesel being joined by Tony Jaa, Deepika Padukone, Toni Collette, and Samuel L. Jackson, while D.J Caruso is still directing the latest instalment. 

There's even a rumor that Ice Cube, whose acting stock has only risen since his appearance as Darius Stone in XXX: State Of The Union, will also return. As yet, there’s no confirmation that the 21 Jump Street and Ride Along star will actually appear, but let’s hope that proves to be the case, because it’s always good to see Cube’s gruff exterior pop up on screen.

What makes XXX 3’s release all the more impressive is just how poorly XXX: State Of The Union fared back in 2005. With Vin Diesel deciding not to reprise the character of Xander Cage, whose extreme sports antics in 2002’s XXX resulted in the film grossing $277.4 million, Ice Cube was brought on board to lead the new iteration of the franchise. That didn't end well though, because it cost $87 million and only took in $71 million.

The combination of the duo would certainly make XXX 3 even more appealing to audiences, especially since both Furious 7 and Ride Along 2 recently proved to be box office behemoths. XXX: The Return Of Xander Cage is currently in production, and it's likely to hit screens at some point in 2017. 

By the time of the anticipated launch of the Star Wars sequel trilogy this December with Episode VII: The Force Awakens, we will have gotten to either love or hate a slew of new primary characters. However, rumors are circulating that the middle act might add some Force-powered chop-socky with the exciting addition of Hong Kong action star, Donnie Yen.

A Hong Kong tabloid called Apple Daily has stoked the rumor fires with their report claiming that Donnie Yen, one of the most bankable stars in the lucrative China film market, has landed a role in the yet-to-be-titled Episode VIII, directed by Rian Johnson. As the sparse details of the report imply, Yen would prospectively play a Jedi, who, by some fateful set of circumstances, becomes a friend to Harrison Ford’s Han Solo in the battle against the neo-Imperial organization known as The First Order. The report goes so far to claim that the actor leaves for London early next month to begin shooting said role.

This Jedi role could actually entail more than just a blink-and-you-miss-it cameo. The report implies that Yen beat out several notable peer candidates; some of whom have actually established themselves in the U.S., such as Jet Li, Stephen Chow, Tony Leung, Chang Chen, Daniel Wu and Wang Leehom. Apropos to such a casting call, the unnamed Jedi role will apparently see the actor embroiled in immense amounts of actions shots. However, it seems that this pool was whittled down rather quickly to Yen and Li, due to their ability to articulate lines in English; something that seems to further solidify the idea that this Jedi character could be rather important in the scheme of the new trilogy.

Considering the tabloid source, the veracity of the report should be prudently questioned. After all, the mere idea that Han Solo would still be around for Episode VIII could be seen as either a spoiler or irresponsible soothsaying. However, sources from the news site Twitch claim that the report is awfully close in nature to "rumblings" they’ve been hearing that Gareth Edwards, director of next year’s spinoff Star Wars Anthology: Rogue One, has been looking at a number of Chinese actors. Certainly, the increasing importance of China in helping to boost profitability (and in some cases, recover losses) for big-budget bonanzas, makes it reasonable to assume that there is a grain of truth to the idea that Episode VIII might be looking to make itself more palatable to Chinese moviegoers as it heads into that critical sophomore stage.

While Donnie Yen’s lightsaber license may not yet carry an official stamp, the actor readies a slew of other big projects such as the follow-up film to one of the most successful mystical kung fu films of all time in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: The Green Legend, which hits cinemas on August 28. Next year’s Noodle Man will see Yen as a retired Chinese-cop-turned New York City noodle shop owner, who confronts an old enemy. Additionally, next year’s Ip Man 3 will have the Hong Kong ass-kicker step into the ring with boxing legend Mike Tyson.

In the meantime, the only thing we truly know about the upcoming Star Wars: Episode VIII is that Looper helmer, Rian Johnson will settle into a director’s chair still sporting the lens-flare-bleached ass groove of J.J. Abrams. The film is set to hit theaters on May 26, 2017.

Last week, Grantland's Bill Simmons wrote a feature about "The Action Hero Championship Belt," detailing how each year in cinema was conquered by a certain onscreen badass. It's a fun read, and you should check it out. But because of a fractured marketplace, he stumbles in labeling recent years as belonging to any particular star beyond Liam Neeson (come on Simmons, he's in his sixties). And yet, where is Donnie Yen, martial artist extraordinaire currently dominating the Chinese marketplace? With Yen's next high profile role, guys like Simmons will have less of an excuse to leave him out.

Yen is now signed to star in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon II: The Green Destiny according to Deadline. His involvement was apparently up in the air despite being settled a while ago, as Yen made a move to change agencies. Yen is playing Silent Wolf in this sequel, which teams him with the first film's Michelle Yeoh. Previously, Zhang Zi-Yi was tabbed to appear in the film as well, though that was later debunked. The material is derived from Iron Knight, Silver Vase, the fifth book in a 5-book series to which Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was the fourth.

It's unclear as to whether Chow Yun-Fat will be returning, as his character plays a pivotal role in the book. Yen seems to be the clear star attraction, however. The original film was a sensation upon its release, grossing $213 million worldwide and winning four Academy Awards, including Best Foreign Film. It launched director Ang Lee into the stratosphere as well: he followed the film with Hulk, which drew mixed reactions, but afterwards he was able to win two Oscars for Best Director, for Brokeback Mountain and Life Of Pi. The Weinstein Company made an aggressive push for their Miramax properties, and will start sequelizing them soon. It makes sense that one of the most decorated would be next in line.

But Yen right now is a bonafide global star. China counts him as their most bankable leading man. He's never been huge in America, popping up in bit parts in films like Blade 2 and rejecting overtures from the Expendables movies. Yen's latest, Monkey King 3D, just made $165 million in China and is slated for a sequel, and he's got seven movies slated for release this year according to IMDb, including Iceman and Iceman 2, about a group of Ming Dynasty warriors who travel 400 years into the future and end up in modern day. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon II: The Green Destiny will be directed by Yuen Woo-Ping, the famous martial arts coordinator who last directed the savagely entertaining True Legend. Check out the trailer for that below.