Marvel Star Is Trying To Get The Sleeping Dogs Movie Made–And A Game Sequel

Marvel actor Simu Liu has revealed that he is attempting to revive the Sleeping Dogs series with a movie and a sequel to the 2012 game. Liu, who starred in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, said on social media that it’s been a “tiring” process to pitch Sleeping Dogs to executives, going on to note how only a small percentage of film projects that are pitched ever get made.

“Everyone’s overwhelming love of Sleeping Dogs here has give us life,” he said, referring to the social media campaign to get a Sleeping Dogs movie off the ground. Liu said his plan is to make a Sleeping Dogs movie first, “then a sequel game for everyone,” or at least, “that’s always been the dream.”

A source told IGN that a Sleeping Dogs movie is actually in development, with Liu on board to play the lead role of Wei Shen. A movie being in “development” doesn’t mean it’ll ever get made, though, only that pre-production work is being done in some capacity.

Plenty of video game movies get announced and never come out for any number of reasons. Sleeping Dogs itself has been in development as a movie in some form for nearly a decade, after all, as Donnie Yen was at one point trying to make a Sleeping Dogs movie before apparently giving up.

The original Sleeping Dogs game had players take control of undercover cop Wei Shen, who was tasked with infiltrating the Triad gangs operating in Hong Kong and gathering evidence on their various illegal activities.

Despite being well-received by critics and fans, Sleeping Dogs never managed to become a franchise. A spin-off, Triad Wars, was canceled during its beta, and developer United Front Games shut down in 2016. A Sleeping Dogs Definitive Edition was released in 2014.