He's rumbled in the Bronx, first struck in the former Soviet Union and been a nice guy down under. Now Hong Kong superstar Jackie Chan has hit the dark continent for his next international actioner, Who am I?, which is being shot in sync-sound English by a cult Chinese helmer Benny Chan. Chan is best known to British fans for the Andy Lau masterpiece Moment of Romance, but local Hong Kong audiences are still raving about his cops & robbers thriller Big Bullet. That film featured British martial arts actor Mike Lambert, who previously worked with Chan in Thunderbolt, Van Damne in The Quest and Jet Li in Black Mask. Lambert was also flown out to the sunny South African locations of Who am I? to both play a role and perform stunts in Chan's lastest blockbuster.

Jackie first got the idea to shoot in South Africa when he was invited to be a judge at the Miss World contest held in Sun city. Amazed by the beauty of the countryside, and the warmth of his reception, he vowed to return.

The film stars Chan as member of an elite commando unit. His team is sent to Africa in a bid to seize a unique explosive crystal that the American government plans to use as a weapon.

Jackie drinks cactus juice

During the mission, Chan falls from the helicopter, and lands in the African bush. Though he survives the drop, he strikes his head, and suffers amnesia. He is discovered and adopted by an African tribe, who teach him their jungle skills and a simple way of life. When he keeps asking them "Who am I?", they assume that is his name. Two of Chan's former colleagues, Morgan and Peter, are convinced that he must have turned traitor, and are sent back to track him down. Jackie also falls foul of the CIA, who want to know why he has ten different foreign passports in his possession! Mike Lambert was on location when a key sequence was shot:

"In this scene," he remembers, "Jackie's been taken, in handcuffs, to be interrogated by the CIA. The setting is this huge stadium. Using his usual acrobatic skills, Jackie gets away. He then fights this running battle, making his way to the top of the building. There's some work going on, and Jackie gets this barrel that's attached to a rope, and then knocks the bottom out of the barrel. He puts this around himself then jumps over the side, letting the rope play out behind him. He's twisting and turning all the way to the ground, so when he lands, he's really dizzy. It's an amazing stunt, with this funny ending."

Lambert noticed that Chan was following a very strict diet and exerice regimen, getting into the best shape of his life so as to make the most of his newfound international stardom.

Besides South Africa, Who am I? will also shoot on locations in Malaysia, Holland and maybe even London. As ever, the script remains fluid. The two females leads are both from Japan. Michelle Ferre, who is half-Japanese and half-French, is, in real-life, a TV reporter, while Mirei Yamamoto is the daughter of the famous fashion designer.

Next up for Chan will be his long-rumoured eastern Western. Rather than being put off by the fact that Jet Lee's Once Upon a Time in China 6 stole his concept(and his title!), Chan is determined to shoot the film in Arizona next year. It will be a period, kung-fu piece, and Jackie is seriously considering shaving his head for the role, to recreate the Wong Fei hung-style, Ching dynasty pigtail look! The Samo Hung directed Lion Goes West (Chinese title) with Jet Lee was so poorly received that Jackie Chan wants to show audiences how it should be done!

Also on the horizon for Jackie is his first fulscale Hollywood movie, Rush Hour, though not now with Bad Boys star Martin Lawrence, originally tipped to be co-lead. The rumour mill as Chris Tucker, as his new co-lead, late of, The Fifth Element. Chan and Stallone are stilling searching for the right project on which to combine their talents, which is especially challenging now that Sly as publicly forsaken the action genre. They'll be seen together, albeit briefly, on-screen for An Alan Simthee Film, in which, incidentally, Chan uses the "f" word for the first time since The Protector. Keep reading Impact for exclusive updates on Chan's African odyssey, and all his future projects.

Article Source: Impact Magazine