Jackie Chan to star in new 'Shaolin' movie

Jackie Chan is set to star in an updated version of Jet Li's 1982 "The Shaolin Temple." The new "Shaolin," will co-star Andy Lau and actress Fan BingBing. The Chinese language martial-arts film will be directed by Benny Chan. The action scenes will be coordinated by Cory Yeun, who worked on "X-Men" and "Lethal Weapon 4."

The film will be set in the actual 1,500 year-old Shaolin Temple and will include 1,000 authentic fighting monks. The famed Shaolin fighting monks have been featured in Bruce Lee and Jet Li's martial arts films in the past and in David Carradine's television show "Kung Fu." The last time the temple was used to film a movie was in 1982 (for the original "Shaolin Temple").  This film, with a $29 million budget, includes a scene where the entire temple burns to the ground.

The shrine's abbot, Shi Yongxin, has been criticized for "seeking publicity" for the sacred temple set in the mountains of the Henan province. In September 2009, it was announced that the North Shaolin Temple would be rebuilt using "environmentally-friendly and power-saving technologies." The renovations, overseen by Yongxin, cost $292 million. On Thursday, October 22, 2009, Yongxin told reporters, "It's worth cheering that we are now working with the most outstanding production team."

Jackie Chan's "Shaolin" will begin filming this winter and will be released in late 2010.