Shout! Studios to Release Early Jet Li Classics Including ‘Fist of Legend’ and ‘Tai Chi Master’
Early Hong Kong classics from Jet Li, including works from celebrated filmmakers Gordon Chan, Yuen Woo-ping (perhaps best known by western audiences for his work on “The Matrix”) and Corey Yuen will finally arrive on digital 4K on Feb. 18, courtesy of Shout! Studios in collaboration with Li.
The releases include 1994’s “Fist of Legend,” 1993’s “Tai Chi Master,” “The Legend” and “The Legend 2,” and 1994’s “The Bodyguard From Beijing.” These are the movies that made Li an international superstar and paved the way for him to appear in western blockbusters like “Lethal Weapon 4,” “Romeo Must Die,” “The One” and “The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor,” along with Sylvester Stallone’s “Expendables” franchise.
“Thanks to our new partner Shout! Studios, movie fans can now easily enjoy these entertaining films in stunning 4K on various digital platforms. I hope a new generation of audiences will be introduced to these action classics that give a glimpse to the talent of directors, writers, actors, stunt people and crew that come from the rich history of Hong Kong cinema,” Li said in a Thursday statement.
These films will be available for digital download and on-demand across major digital entertainment platforms in the U.S. Moreover, “Fist of Legend,” “Tai Chi Master,” “The Legend,” “The Legend 2” and “The Bodyguard From Beijing” will also be available together in a digital bundle for the first time on Apple TV and Fandango at Home.
Shout! Studios is also teasing that they “will announce additional news for fans in the coming months,” meaning that a physical release of the titles could be announced in the not-too-distant future.
The announcement furthers Shout! Factory’s commitment to releasing classic Asian cinema. Last year, they put out two brilliant box sets from Golden Harvest, a Hong Kong film company that was responsible for some of the most iconic films of the 1970s and ‘80s, and earlier this year, Shout! Studios announced a deal for the Golden Princess films, which includes some John Woo-directed masterpieces like “Hard Boiled,” “The Killer” and “A Better Tomorrow,” along with other classics like Ringo Lam’s “City on Fire,” Tsui Hark’s “Peking Opera Blues” and Tony Ching’s “Chinese Ghost Story.” Long out-of-print, with rights supposedly held by a Chinese hotel chain, the Golden Princess titles are maybe the most exciting home video announcement of the new year.
If you’ve never seen these early Jet Li movies, well, now is your opportunity — in gorgeous 4K, no less.
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