Jing Wu

Wu Jing is one of China’s most successful movie stars and martial artists and has starred in several mainland Chinese blockbusters. Discovered by martial arts fight choreographer Yuen Woo-ping, Wu was first cast in the Hong Kong action movie, Tai Chi Boxer (1996).

Wu’s breakthrough happened with Wilson Yip’s Hong Kong cop thriller, SPL: Sha Po Lang (2005), opposite all-stars Donnie Yen, Sammo Hung, and Simon Yam; a decade later, Wu co-starred in the long-delayed, Yip-produced sequel, SPL II: A Time for Consequences (2015), with Tony Jaa, Simon Yam, and Louis Koo, and grossing a strong $90 million worldwide.

Wu starred in more Hong Kong action hits including Fatal Contact (2006), Twins Mission (2007), Invisible Target (2007), and Fatal Move (2008). Wu’s Hollywood debut was in the Rob Cohen-directed sequel with Brendan Fraser and Jet Li, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008), grossing a powerful $403 million global gross for Universal Pictures. Wu Jing’s debut as a director star was Legendary Assassin (2008), with Nicky Li as the fight choreographer.

Wu soon followed, after two back-to-back movies with genre specialist director Jeffrey Lau, with another all-star vehicle with the China-Hong Kong co-production directed by Benny Chan, Shaolin (2011), co-starring Andy Lau, Nicholas Tse, Jackie Chan, and Fan Bingbing.

Wu’s greatest triumph to date was as director-star of a pair of sensational hits–Wolf Warrior (2015), with Scott Adkins and Yu Nan, and Wolf Warrior 2 (2017), which Wu also co-wrote and produced, with Celina Jade, Frank Grillo, Hans Zhang, and grossing $874 million, making it the highest-grossing non-English film of all time until 2021—when Wu appeared as star of The Battle of Lake Changjin, a highly controversial Korean War-set epic co-directed by Chen Kaige, Tsui Hark, and Dante Lam, and earning a stunning $913 million globally; it spawned a sequel (also commissioned by the Chinese Communist Party’s film propaganda division), The Battle of Lake Changjin II (2022), again co-directed by Chen, Hark, and Lam, and earning $626 million.

Wu Jing’s name became synonymous with blockbusters, including another hit series, the science fiction epic directed by Frant Gwo, The Wandering Earth (2019), based on Liu Cixin’s story, and tallying a stunning $700 million gross; the film’s unexpected success triggered a prequel, The Wandering Earth 2 (2023), starring Andy Lau and grossing $604 million.

Wu directed and starred in the segment titled Windriders in the Chinese anthology movie, My Country, My Parents (2021), set during the 1942 Second Sino-Japanese War. Wu Jing returned to co-starring in a Hollywood-produced movie in Warner Bros.’ The Meg 2: The Trench (2023), directed by Ben Wheatley and starring Jason Statham, Sergio Peris-Mencheta, and Cliff Curtis.