Simu Liu to Star as Wei Shen in 'Sleeping Dogs' Movie Development

This week, fans of the beloved video game Sleeping Dogs were thrilled by a tweet from Marvel Cinematic Universe star Simu Liu, who announced he was collaborating with the rights holders to bring the game to the big screen. However, it seems the project is already further along than initially suggested. A source close to the development has confirmed to IGN that a Sleeping Dogs movie is indeed in the works, with Simu Liu, known for his role as Shang-Chi in *Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings*, not only producing but also set to star as the lead character, Wei Shen. IGN has reached out to Square Enix for further comment on the project.

Originally released in 2012 for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC, Sleeping Dogs follows the story of detective Wei Shen as he infiltrates a notorious Triad crime syndicate in Hong Kong. Despite not meeting Square Enix's sales expectations, the game has garnered a dedicated fan base and sparked hopes for a sequel ever since.

An earlier attempt to adapt Sleeping Dogs into a movie was announced in 2017, with Donnie Yen slated to star. However, the project was abandoned a year later. Yen recently shared with Polygon his disappointment and the effort he put into the project, including investing his own money. "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. Years. And I really want to do it. I have all these visions in my head, and unfortunately… I don’t know, you know how Hollywood goes, right? I spent many, many years on it. It was an unfortunate thing. Well, on to better things."

Simu Liu's tweet sparked some confusion among fans, prompting him to clarify his intentions and reveal his ambition to not only bring the movie to life but also to help develop a sequel to the Sleeping Dogs video game. "So few film projects make it from pitch phase to greenlight," he said. "Pitching execs who don’t understand the game has been tiring. Everyone’s overwhelming love of Sleeping Dogs here has really given us life! First a movie, then a sequel game for everyone… that’s always been the dream."

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IGN can confirm that Story Kitchen is at the helm of the Sleeping Dogs live-action feature film project, with Square Enix as the rights holder. Story Kitchen, known for its work on video game adaptations such as the Sonic the Hedgehog films and Netflix's animated Tomb Raider series, is also currently involved in the upcoming Streets of Rage adaptation and an It Takes Two film for Amazon.

Last year, Story Kitchen announced a film adaptation of Square Enix's Just Cause, with Blue Beetle director Ángel Manuel Soto attached to direct. IGN has learned that the Sleeping Dogs project has a writer and a major filmmaker attached, though details about a release date or when production will start remain undisclosed.

The Sleeping Dogs movie marks a significant revival for the franchise, which saw its planned video game sequel canceled in late 2013 and its original developer, United Front Games, shut down three years later. Now, over a decade later, Sleeping Dogs is poised for a much-anticipated revival.