Jet Li will be playing the villain in this new movie. Although the American audience will see Jet before the release of Lethal Weapon 4, he now has the opportunity to work with some of Hollywood's finest actors, which could instantly make Jet a hit! Jet's movie MY FATHER IS A HERO will be released on to Western screens in February 1998. If you haven't seen Tomorrow Never Dies, the latest James Bond movie, you should know that Michelle Yeoh (who has starred with Jet in Tai Chi Master) co-starred with Pierce Brosnan (James Bond) and she has become very popular now because of her skill and her work in a very popular movie series. In TIME Magazine, she is included in the top 10 people of 1997 (she's 8th). It seems that any major Hong Kong Action Star can become an instant hit in Hollywood just by appearing in any Hollywood movie. Imagine what the future holds for Jet Li, especially since he's working with such big names as Mel Gibson and Rene Russo.
The filming of LETHAL WEAPON 4 will begin after the New Year. The filming location will be Los Angeles. Here are some of the film specifics:
Starring: Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Rene Russo, Joe Pesci, Chris Rock, and.... JET LI!
Director: Richard Donner
Producer: Joel Silver
Released by: Warner Bros.
Release date: July 10, 1998
Screenwriter: Channing Gibson (no relation to Mel Gibson)
The cast is very much the same from Lethal Weapon 3, except comedian Chris Rock (the African-American who has appeared in many 1-800-COLLECT commercials) and Jet will be joining the cast.
Too bad Jet will be the villain, because most likely, he'll be killed in the movie. This will be a first! But being a villain isn't that bad. Many villains in movies are noticed. For example, Jean Claude Van Damme's first role was a villain in a Hong Kong action film, and now for some odd reason, he's very popular in Hollywood.
Jet Li will be the fourth of many Hong Kong action stars to break into the Hollywood market, besides Jackie Chan (Rumble in the Bronx), Michelle Yeoh (Tomorrow Never Dies), and Chow Yun-Fat (Replacement Killers, which will be released in February 1998).
Hopefully, Jet's role in Lethal Weapon 4 will increase his popularity and the acclaim he very much deserves! Good luck!