Jackie Chan has been acting since the early 1970s, and he began to gain real notoriety for his martial arts skills and risky stunts in the 1980s. Movies like Police Story, Armour of God, and Project A helped to make Chan a star in China and other international markets. His impressive stunt work and fighting skills eventually began to break through to mainstream American audiences in the 1990s, thanks to hits like Supercop, Rumble in the Bronx, and First Strike.
Chan’s fame with American audiences truly took off in 1998 with Rush Hour, which paired his martial arts skills with Chris Tucker’s charisma, proving a winning formula. However, it was his action-comedy Western with Owen Wilson that truly helped solidify Chan as a bankable star in America. Shanghai Noon was released in 2000, showcasing the star’s unique martial arts style in a distinctly different genre and changing Chan’s career forever as a lead actor.
Jackie Chan Conquered the American West
Shanghai Noon saw Chan playing Chon Wang, which makes for a perfect cowboy name. Still, Wilson’s Roy O’Bannon wouldn’t agree, taking time to make the perfect joke about how it sounds like a terrible name, as it rhymes with John Wayne. Chon is a Chinese Imperial Guard in the Forbidden City who travels to the Wild West to save a kidnapped princess, played by Lucy Liu. There he meets Roy, a train robber who becomes an unlikely partner in Chon’s mission. The action comedy also stars Xander Berkeley, Walton Goggins, and Roger Yuan. The elements that proved to captivate audiences in Rush Hour have been perfectly incorporated into Shanghai Noon, bringing martial arts fights and comedic antics in equal measure, with a likable duo at the heart of the story.
Rush Hour was a huge hit when it was released in 1998, with the $33 million-budgeted film going on to gross $244 million worldwide. Shanghai Noon had a larger budget, reportedly $55 million, which it nearly doubled at the box office, earning $99 million. It was considered only a modest hit compared to Rush Hour, but it was another success that showed Chan had box office appeal with American audiences as a comedic lead. Shanghai Noon proved that Chan was capable of making audiences laugh as much as thrill them with his stunt work, showing there was a future for his comedy chops. It was also the actor’s first Western, with Chan clearly able to tackle any genre.
‘Shanghai Noon’ Bolstered Chan’s Rising Star in the United States
Given the success of Rush Hour, it was easy to see why two sequels followed. Rush Hour 2 and 3 saw budgets raised, with box-office returns continuing to impress. Fans have been clamoring for a fourth entry ever since, but that has yet to materialize despite repeated teases over the years. Still, beyond the Rush Hour franchise, Chan was now appearing in numerous American productions, even as the lead, often with romantic plotlines and plenty of comedy.
Given Shanghai Noon‘s comedic style, Chan went on to star in several other action-comedies, including The Tuxedo, The Medallion, The Accidental Spy, and Disney’s Around the World in 80 Days. He continued to bring his martial arts skills to every part, with many films focusing on his stunts, such as The Forbidden Kingdom, which paired Chan with fellow action icon Jet Li in a fantasy epic. He lent his voice to several Kung Fu Panda films and The Lego Ninjago Movie, showing his comedic skill without his penchant for fighting. Chan has even flexed his dramatic chops, with movies like The Karate Kid reboot.
When Chan’s career first took off, he was known for his risky stunt work, often sacrificing his own safety to capture shots that would have been impossible otherwise. His skilled fighting ability helped bring attention to his martial arts performances worldwide. Still, it was Shanghai Noon that had audiences laughing, proving his comedy timing and fighting prowess worked in Westerns, leading to roles the star would likely not have had the opportunity for otherwise.
Will There Ever Be a Third ‘Shanghai Noon’ Movie?
During Chan’s run of action comedy hits, a sequel to Shanghai Noon was released. Shanghai Knights came out in 2003, reteaming Chan and Wilson, with the story taking the two out of the Wild West and trading dusty landscapes for London’s gritty urban setting. The movie was another modest success, continuing Chan’s record of hits and flair for planting jokes among his fights. However, as with the Rush Hour franchise, fans have been asking for another sequel. While there have been teases over the years, a third movie, reportedly called Shanghai Dawn, came closer to reality than some fans may realize.
Miles Millar and Alfred Gough are known for co-creating Wednesday, but years ago, they co-wrote the Shanghai Noon films. Gough also spilled details about a third film that was nearly made, with both Chan and Wilson tentatively attached, and a script he helped develop with younger writers taking the lead on the project. Seemingly, had it not been for Chan’s decision to walk away from the sequel, the third Shanghai Noon movie could have come out years ago. Gough stated:
“We came very close. Oh my gosh, COVID always makes my timeline wonky. I think it was like 2017, 2018, we had a script and Jackie [Chan] and Owen [Wilson] had verbally kind of committed. Then, at a certain point, Jackie just decided he didn’t want to do it. That’s all I really know. There was a moment probably six or seven years ago where it looked like it was starting to come together. We weren’t writing it, we were working with some younger writers, but we helped break the story, and they were writing it. So, that’s where we are.”
Gough also spoke about some of the third movie’s supposed plot details. The next Shanghai Noon movie would again shift locations, set in Hollywood during the silent era, where Chan’s character would be putting his skills to use in filmmaking. Gough said:
“I think the story was the Jackie character, was now working in silent movies — it was kind of the Tom Mix era. That’s where they had gotten to. Then Owen was down in Mexico, and I think it was something about him being with revolutionaries, and Jackie had to go save him. I honestly don’t remember, but I do remember it was that kind of era, the early silent movie era of Hollywood, which we thought was a lot of fun.”
While a third Shanghai Noon film is still not confirmed, it remains an ever-lingering possibility if the right circumstances ever fall into place. Still, the action-comedy Western proved that Chan was a capable comedy star who could thrive on more than just his martial arts. Much of Chan’s career is still defined by action, but he still knows how to bring the laughs, with his talents endeared to fans thanks to Shanghai Noon.
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