Xie Miao leads a new U.S.-set martial arts crime thriller from Stars Collective, marking a bold step in global action cinema.
Xie Miao, the Chinese martial arts star known for The Furious and the Eye for an Eye series, is set to headline a new U.S.-set crime thriller from Los Angeles-based Stars Collective. The film, still untitled, will be an English-language action drama with a gritty, realistic take on martial arts — similar to the physical intensity seen in his previous work.
It’s being developed as a global project, aiming to transcend language barriers while keeping core elements of classic wushu cinema intact. Peter Luo (Malignant, Umma), Wayne Wei Jiang (The Meg), and Wei Junzi (Eye for an Eye, The Furious) are producing alongside Stars Collective co-CEO Nancy Xu, who also produced The Garfield Movie.
Xu called Xie Miao “the perfect artist” for the role, citing his physical prowess and international appeal. Born in Beijing, Xie began as a child actor and won multiple wushu championships before breaking into film opposite Jet Li in The New Legend of Shaolin and My Father Is a Hero.
His career has spanned decades, including television work and leading roles in high-octane franchises. This new project marks a shift toward a broader, more globally oriented narrative, one that could expand his reach beyond Asian markets. The announcement came at the Busan International Film Festival’s Asian Contents & Film Market.
Stars Collective, founded in 2020, has been actively acquiring rights to build its slate: it recently secured Mandarin-language remake rights to Thelma (2024 Sundance hit), optioned the nonfiction book Fortunate Sons: The 120 Chinese Boys Who Came to America, Went to School, and Revolutionized an Ancient Civilization, and is developing a feature titled Grandma, Please. The company operates across LA, China, and Japan, with over 60 original projects in development.
Spanning film, animation, games, and immersive experiences. Its incubator includes mentors like Sam Raimi, Jon M. Chu, Lu Chuan, and Oscar winner Donna Gigliotti. No release date has been confirmed. But with production likely starting soon, the film could enter post-production by late 2027.
If it lands on a streaming platform or theatrical roll-out, it’ll be one of the first major Western-backed martial arts thrillers led by a Chinese star outside the superhero or fantasy genre. And if the buzz holds? Expect a lot of people to start asking: what happens when real combat meets real stakes?
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