Ip Man and Hero star Donnie Yen has reportedly signed on to appear in Star Wars: Episode VIII.
According to Twitch Film (via Apple Daily), the Hong Kong star is flying off to London in August to start shooting Star Wars: Episode VIII. The report states that Yen will be sharing the screen with Han Solo actor Harrison Ford, though Oscar Isaac is the only confirmed cast member returning for the sequel so far.
In addition, there is some thought Yen may also be cast in Star Wars: Rogue One, since there have been rumblings that the Anthology film's director, Gareth Edwards, was circling Chinese actors for an unspecified role. The standalone film just recently started shooting, meaning Yen may appear in both films or there is a mixup on which movie he's actually joining.
Yen apparently beat out a number of other contenders for the Star Wars role, including Jet Li, Stephen Chow and Daniel Wu. Many Hollywood productions are looking to add Chinese actors to appeal to Chinese audiences, who have become a bigger box office market for blockbuster films.
Star Wars: Rogue One is set to hit the silver screen December 16, 2016, while Episode VIII is slated to release May 26, 2017.
