Celina Jade (“The Man With The Iron Fists,” TV’s “Arrow”) has been set as the female lead in “Wolf Warriors 2,” a sequel to last year Chinese action hit. Production is now under way in China and Africa.
Jade joins actor-director-producer Jacky Wu (aka Wu Jing) in the cast along with Frank Grillo (“Captain America”) and China’s Zhang Han.
"Captain America” co-directors, the Russo Brothers, who have their own production operation in China, are overseeing action on the film, along with fight coordinator Sam Hargrave and Jack Wong (“SPL 2”.)
The film’s producers include Deng Feng International Media, China Film Group, Bona Films and Beijing Culture. Distributors have guaranteed a minimum box office of $120 million (RMB800 million) from mainland Chinese theaters, when it releases in August next year.
The first film, itself a feature-length spin-off from a TV series, grossed $90 million (RMB620 million) when it was released in April last year. The sequel sees Wu, a former national martial-arts champion, reprise his role as a special forces marksman leading an elite squad on patriotic duty. But it relocates the action to a fictional war-torn country in Africa.
Jade is managed by Echelon Talent Management, with CAA as her agent.