Jackie Chan: Set to star in new Shaolin movie

Jackie Chan: Set to star in new Shaolin movie

Jackie Chan is set to star in a new film about China's famed shrine of martial arts, the Shaolin Temple.

Jackie Chan will star in the 200 million yuan ($29.3 million) production, "Shaolin", the latest screen portrayal of the 1,500-year old temple in central China whose famous fighting monks have featured in films by stars such as Bruce Lee and Jet Li, and in the 1970s TV series "Kung Fu" with David Carradine. Shaolin Temple is widely regarded as the birthplace of Shaolin martial arts.

The new film will feature Shaolin monks demonstrating martial arts that have rarely been seen elsewhere.

"Shaolin" will be an updated version of a 1982 movie, "The Shaolin Temple".

The film will also star veteran Hong Kong actor Andy Lau, actor-singer Nicholas Tse and Chinese actress Fan Bingbing.

Jackie Chan will play the monk's kung-fu master. Shooting is expected to start end of 2009.

The film will be directed by Hong Kong filmmaker Benny Chan with a release scheduled for late 2010.