A movie based on the video game Sleeping Dogs was in the works for years, but it’s apparently no longer moving ahead. Actor Donnie Yen (Ip Man, John Wick, Rogue One) was announced as the lead years ago, and he’s now confirmed the momentum there once was to make the movie happen has stalled.
“I spent a lot of time and did a lot of work with these producers, and I even invested some of my own money into obtaining the drafts and some of the rights,” Yen told Polygon. “I waited for years. Years. And I really want to do it. I have all these visions in my head, and unfortunately … I don’t know, you know how Hollywood goes, right? I spent many, many years on it. It was an unfortunate thing.”
Yen didn’t provide any other specifics on what happened to the Sleeping Dogs movie, but it’s not uncommon for Hollywood films to fall apart or trudge through the so-called development hell and never see the light of day for any number of reasons.
In 2021, Yen said his producing partners told him it was “going to happen,” with plans to begin filming in 2022, but obviously that did not happen.
While Yen’s Sleeping Dogs movie may never materialize, you can watch the 2024 Russell Crowe movie Sleeping Dogs or the 1977 film Sleeping Dogs starring Sam Neill. You could also watch Bobcat Goldthwait’s 2006 movie Sleeping Dogs Lie about bestiality.
The original Sleeping Dogs game had players take control of undercover cop Wei Shen, who was tasked with infiltrating the Triad gangs operating in Hong Kong and gathering evidence on their various illegal activities.
Despite being well-received by critics and fans, 2012’s Sleeping Dogs never managed to become a franchise. A spin-off, Triad Wars, was canceled during its beta, and United Front Games shut down in 2016. A Sleeping Dogs Definitive Edition was released in 2014.