Is it safer to do movies like Kung Fu Panda?

CHAN: Kung Fu what? [laughs] Yes.

Did you like that?

CHAN: Yes. I forget. Making a Hollywood film, you don't have a very big movie because they have a safety captain, insurance people on the set. They have to check first: "Don't do it. Let me check, make sure everything is safe." And I really think that John [Stevenson], the director and also, Disney and DreamWorks they are making Chinese culture movies like Mulan, Forbidden Kingdom, Kung Fu Panda. All those years, I always think, "Whenever the Western people make anything we know, Superman - yeah, we know. Spider-Man, well, we know. Whenever you make King Arthur, we know. But whenever we try to make something Chinese culture overseas, nobody knows." When we make Chang Dynasty, who is Chang? When we make some very famous Chinese story, nobody knows. Even Mulan, Disney makes Mulan and now the whole world knows Mulan. So, we need American famous director or non-famous director or famous studio to help us make some Chinese traditional culture movies. The history brings you to the wall. Then the people more understand China, more understand China, then more people will have interest in China and more people will come to China to visit us because I am a tourist ambassador. [laughs] Really, thank you. Please write more Chinese things, yes.

What was the first movie you wanted to make with Jet Li?

CHAN: Fifteen years ago I wrote a script with him and the script was very interesting. I am the bad good guy, he is the cop. He had to catch me around from the bottom of Russia all the way back to Beijing. Between, something happens and even the police are looking for Jet Li, the bad guy looking for Jet Li, then the police are looking for me. And then Jet Li couldn't catch me. I had to get rid of him. And we cannot take the plane, we cannot take the train, we cannot take anything. No transportation. We have to walk on the mountains, cross the river. Different regions of Chinese, different dialects. There is a lot of comedy going on. Lots of travel going on. Lots of great action.

So, where do things stand with that project?

CHAN: When I present the script to American writer, he doesn't like it. [laughs] The company had spent another million for him to rewrite the script. After he write the script, I don't like it. And when he writes the script, it's two brothers. Somehow I don't know he's my brother, somehow I know he's my brother. The two of us - he just wants money. Don't pay me the script copyright. So, this is why it doesn't happen. And I think also, we don't have the middle guy. Every time I see Jet, it's like, "Let's do it when?" And he's like, "Yeah, let's do it!" And then "Dead, boom, gone." Because this time it happened, because Casey [Silver], in the middle, all those years, every ten days he gives me a call. The script, "No, it's not done." - "Jet, sent him the script." He was the one flying back and forth, back and forth. Then, it makes the whole thing happen. Thank you.

Do you have any old classic favorites?

CHAN: Classic movies? Drunken Master. [laughs] Director Woo Shanu, King Hu. Dragon Inn and A Touch of Zen, Young Master, Police Story... [laughs] Rush Hour.

Exploring The Forbidden Kingdom with Jackie Chan Page 3