Fans of Hong Kong action king Donnie Yen and of the “Ip Man” series have gotten a double-dose of exciting news to burst into excitement over – after much rumor and speculation, the possibility of “Ip Man 4” has just become a virtual certainty after a series of posters promoting it were recently spotted at the Cannes Film Festival.
Following the widespread acclaim of “Ip Man 3” (check out our review), the idea that the famed Grandmaster of Wing Chun and mentor to the young Bruce Lee would be back for another adventure doesn’t surprise us. Donnie himself will also join another iconic franchise later this year in the upcoming “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”, in which he will reportedly portray a spiritual warrior named Chirrut. “Rogue One” hits theatres world-wide on December 16th, 2016.
However, this isn’t the only bit of news relating to the “Ip Man” franchise by a long shot. With the highly positive reception of “Ip Man 3”, it’s being reported that a spin-off focusing upon Zhang Jin’s character, the rival Wing Chun master Cheung Tin-chi, is in the works with the legendary Yuen Woo-ping again at the helm.
Zhang has rather quickly climbed the ladder of stardom in Hong Kong, having previously appeared in the IMCU (Ip Man Cinematic Universe) as Ma San in 2013’s “The Grandmaster”, alongside Tony Leung, taking on the role of a Wing Chun master. Zhang also made a significant impact in “SPL 2: A Time for Consequences” as the character Ko Chun, a perpetually poker-faced prison ward who gives Wu Jing and Tony Jaa an unexpectedly serious run for their money.
Stay tuned for more info on “Ip Man 4” and its upcoming spin off as it comes into our ‘sticky hands’ (or ‘chi sau’, something all Wing Chun practitioners know about)!
