Jet Li is making a return to the spotlight and we’re here for it!
The Martial Arts Legend Returns!
It’s an exciting month so far for fans of Jet Li! A couple of weeks ago, Li was featured in the trailer for the new Chinese action fantasy film, Blades of the Guardians. Li reunites with Wu Jing after the two worked together on Badges of Fury and The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. This marks the martial arts legend’s first movie since playing the Emperor of China in Disney’s live-action Mulan film released in 2020. Based on the manhua of the same name written and illustrated by Xianzhe Xu, Blades of the Guardians follows “a high-stakes escort mission that spans the Western Regions and Chang’an, sending shockwaves through the martial arts world. Various factions are drawn into the fray, all vying for the fame and fortune tied to the ‘Heaven-ranked Most Wanted Fugitive’ Zhishilang. Thus begins a perilous escort journey that will shape the fate of the realm.“
Great to see him back!
This all comes as a great surprise as Li had more or less retired from movies. In 2017, Jet made an appearance in the short film, Gong Shou Dao, which also featured Donnie Yen, Tony Jaa, Jacky Wu and was choreographed by Sammo Hung, Yuen Woo Ping, and Tony Ching. 2020’s Mulan live-action remake would become the last feature that he would act in prior to Blades of the Guardians.
Li’s return to movies isn’t the only thing that he’s got going. The action star is adapting to modern times with a newly revamped YouTube channel, which will feature videos of him talking to his fans, addressing some issues in sort of a Q&A-type fashion, and even making fun content with his daughters. You will also find some of the content posted across his official social media. Li has been sharing his experiences and the lessons he’s learned in the past few years while navigating health issues after being diagnosed with hyperthyroidism in 2010, then traveling around the world, dedicating himself to his charity, The One Foundation.
In an old interview on Jay Leno’s The Tonight Show, Li talked about his experience as a child on the Chinese Wushu Team when they performed for President Nixon at the White House. Li said Nixon joked with him, “Hey, kid. Your Kung Fu is pretty good. When you grow up, you wanna become my bodyguard?” Li said he jokingly responded, “No.” Which, then, segued into his more sincere explanation, as he expounded, “I don’t wanna protect one person. I wanna protect a billion people.” This anecdote led to heartfelt applause. Now, Li is going from physically traveling to different countries with his charity to addressing the world on his social media with advice and wisdom he’s picked up in his life, trying to reach people everywhere.
Li is also promoting a book he wrote, titled Beyond Life and Death: The True Way to Freedom. Li is a devout Buddhist and the book, which comes out on May 12, draws from his life of growing up in poverty to becoming a star and everything he’s seen in between, while also chronicling his brushes with death. In his announcement video, Li talks about why he wrote this book and how readers can follow his spiritual and emotional journey to reflect on their own lives.
Future in action?
Of course, we as action fans wonder how he’ll proceed with his movies from here. In the trailer for Blades of the Guardians, we get glimpses of Jet fighting and his weapons play looks as good as ever. It’s inevitable that Jet’s action will slow and simplify in accordance with his age, but it can just evolve into something just as great, even if different from his past films. Li can be entering his Bronson or Eastwood phase, where he retains his badass-ness, but grounds his action so he doesn’t put his body through too much punishment doing advanced stuntwork.
Whatever he decides to do, Jet is looking healthy and happy. It’ll be good to see him on the big screen again, and in a tumultuous time, it’s good to see a positive force try to offset the modern cynicism.
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