Sleeping Dogs Movie Moves Forward as Simu Liu Reports Contract Talks
The project has now moved from a script draft and a director announcement to active contract talks with Square Enix, which is the first concrete sign of studio-level progress since the Donnie Yen version collapsed in January 2025.
Key Facts
- Simu Liu said on August 16 that the live-action Sleeping Dogs film is in contract negotiations with Square Enix.
- Liu is set to play undercover cop Wei Shen and to produce the film.
- Timo Tjahjanto, director of The Big 4 and Mr. Nobody 2, was announced as the film's director in December 2025.
- A previous Sleeping Dogs film project starring Donnie Yen was in development from 2017 before collapsing in January 2025.
- Liu reported in October 2025 that a draft of the film's script was complete.
Reporting from 2 sources: GameBusiness.jp, Game Spark.
Actor Simu Liu said on August 16 that the live-action film adaptation of the open-world action game Sleeping Dogs is progressing well, with a director and a production company now attached and a realistic path toward production in place. Liu, who played Shang-Chi in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, is set to star as undercover cop Wei Shen and to produce the film. He told fans that the project is currently in contract negotiations with Square Enix, the game's publisher. The adaptation has had a difficult history: a version starring Donnie Yen was in development from 2017 before collapsing in January 2025. Liu then took up the project, and in October 2025 he reported that a draft of the script was complete. In December 2025, Timo Tjahjanto, director of The Big 4 and Mr. Nobody 2, was announced as the film's director. Liu also thanked fans for their support, saying it strengthens everyone involved in the project.
The original game, released as Sleeping Dogs: Hong Kong Secret Police, is an open-world action title set in Hong Kong. Players control Wei Shen, an undercover police officer who infiltrates the Triad crime organization and balances his duties as a cop against his role inside the gang. Liu has previously said that Hollywood studios failing to understand the importance of the IP is part of the problem, and that he intends to convince them otherwise.
The film's road has been rocky. A version with Donnie Yen attached as the lead was in development starting in 2017, and Yen had even invested money in it, but the project fell apart in January 2025. Liu announced his own attempt at the adaptation afterward, and in October 2025 he shared that a draft script was finished. Timo Tjahjanto, known for The Big 4 and Mr. Nobody 2, was named director in December 2025. Liu's latest update, given in response to a fan asking about progress, confirms that the director and a production company are on board and that talks with Square Enix are underway.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 2 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.