Shanghai noon Screenwriter Alfred Gough sheds light on the unmade third movie, what his story would have entailed, and why it ultimately fell apart. The 2000 action-western starred Jackie Chan as a Chinese Imperial Guard who joins forces with Owen Wilson’s bandit in order to rescue a kidnapped princess. A sequel with the title Shanghai Knights was released in 2003, taking the duo on a quest to recover a priceless artifact. A Shanghai Noon 3 It was also announced in 2015, but few updates emerged yet.
While Gough is currently known for his collaboration with Tim Burton Beetlejuice Beetlejuice And WednesdayThe writer reflected on his early collaboration with Miles Millar, his co-writer on shanghai dinner, while talking to Collider. Gough recalled how far development of a third movie had progressed before things fell apart, admitting that it had reached the script stage and had partial involvement from Chan and Wilson. He said:
We came very close. Oh my god, COVID always makes my timeline wonky. I think it was like 2017, 2018, we had a script and Jackie [Chan] And Owen [Wilson] Has verbally committed. Then, at a certain point, Jackie just decided he didn’t want to do it. That’s all I really know. There was a moment probably six or seven years ago where it looked like it was starting to come together. We didn’t write it, we worked with some younger writers, but we helped break the story, and they wrote it. So, that’s where we are.
In this script, Chon Wang (Chan) made a name for himself in early Hollywood as an actor, once again partnering with Roy O’Bannon (Wilson). However, when his partner found himself entangled with Mexican revolutionaries, Wang went to his friend’s aid. Gach remembered:
I think the story was the Jackie character, was now working in silent movies – it was kind of the Tom Mix era. That’s where they came. Then Owen went down to Mexico, and I think there was something about him being with revolutionaries, and Jackie had to go save him. I really don’t remember, though I remember it was kind of an era, the early silent movie era of Hollywood, which we thought was a lot of fun.
Shanghai noon 3 no longer seems likely
Although the second Shanghai noon Movie received a less enthusiastic response when compared to the original, the series overall has earned positive reactions. Praised for its action and chemistry, Chan and Wilson’s dynamic helped win over critics and audiences across both movies, and was celebrated as a key selling point. moreover, Both Shanghai Movies are also considered financially successfulMaking a third a safe bet.
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Moreover, the movie also found a director back in 2016. Napoleon Dynamites Jared Hess was signed to director. Fan Wong is also expected to reprise her role from Chon Lin Von Shanghai Knights. However, Gough’s new comments indicate Shanghai Noon 3 will not happen. That Chan was reportedly the one who initially pulled out shows that it wasn’t studio interference that stalled the project, but that it was the loss of a key creative voice. Without Chan’s support, it doesn’t seem like the third movie could continue.
Our take on Shanghai Mido’s scrappy movie
A shift in focus may be behind the cancellation
Gough’s description of Shanghai noonThe third movie is one that will be very familiar to viewers, because it follows a similar formula as the original movie carried in the second. Shanghai Knights It ends with Wang and Roy returning to America to get involved in the emerging motion picture industry, complete with a young Charlie Chaplin (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) stowing away with them. Not only is the proposed plot for the third movie perfectly carried over from the sequel, but Chan’s talents as an action star could enhance any silent movie-inspired sequences.
However, the plot involving revolutionaries may be where the production fell apart, as Gough’s description contradicts One Star’s hopes for a third movie. As the writer revealed in 2016, Chan hoped that the sequel would be set in China And provide a greater focus on its culture when compared to the first two movies. As such, despite a positive working relationship between cast and crew, Shanghai noon‘s third movie may have been a victim of creative differences.
Source: Collider