The Sleeping Dogs film adaptation, which was confirmed to be cancelled earlier this month, now has a glimmer of hope for revival, thanks to Marvel star Simu Liu. According to a report by Newsweek, Liu responded to a fan's call for an adaptation of the 2012 game on X/Twitter, stating that he is actively working to bring the project back to life. "Working with the rights holders to bring Sleeping Dogs to the big screen," Liu shared, igniting excitement among fans.
The film was initially announced in 2017 with Donnie Yen set to star. However, it vanished from the production slate a year later, and just a few weeks ago, Yen confirmed its cancellation. "I spent a lot of time and did a lot of work with these producers, and I even invested some of my own money into obtaining the drafts and some of the rights," Yen explained. "I waited for years. And I really wanted to do it. And unfortunately... I don't know. You know how Hollywood goes, right?" His comments had seemingly dashed all hopes for a continuation of the Hong Kong-set action franchise.
However, the landscape changed when Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings star Simu Liu responded to a random social media post. Whether Liu will secure the rights or successfully revive the project remains uncertain, but his involvement has certainly rekindled interest.
Sleeping Dogs was originally released on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC, and follows the story of detective Wei Shen as he infiltrates one of Hong Kong's notorious Triad crime syndicates. The game was well-received, earning an 8/10 in IGN's review, but despite its success, no sequels were produced.
