Let sleeping dogs lie, or so the saying goes. As it turns out, a particular project has allowed them to lie for too long, resulting in an unfortunate cancellation. Donnie Yen has confirmed that his live-action Sleeping Dogs movie is no longer in the works, eight years after its initial announcement.

Speaking to Polygon, the action star expressed disappointment at the news, sharing that he poured a lot of effort into trying to realise his creative vision.
“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,” said the filmmaker. “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.
“Well, on to better things.”
The update is hardly surprising, but it doesn’t soften the blow of disappointment for fans. The Sleeping Dogs movie was first revealed in 2017, with plans to begin filming in 2020. However, it promptly fell into radio silence, sparking speculation of a potential cancellation that seemed to hold great promise — not only is Yen a natural fit for the martial arts crime thriller, the original Square Enix-published game also featured a contemporary Hong Kong setting, where he hails from.

Released in 2012, the action-adventure title was developed by the now-defunct United Front Games and oozed influences from Hong Kong crime cinema like Infernal Affairs. It starred undercover cop Wei Shen as he infiltrated the local Triad, with gameplay focusing on his martial arts moves, fighting, shooting, and parkour abilities, as well as on exploration and combat-assist gadgets. Notable voice cast members include Emma Stone, Lucy Liu, Edison Chen, and more.
This project marks the latest to be trapped in development hell. The Sleeping Dogs franchise is notorious for stalling in the development phase, comprising a planned sequel and spin-off that were both cancelled in the 2010s.