Sleeping Dogs live-action movie moves forward with Simu Liu as Wei Shen and Nobody 2 director Timo Tjahjanto
Long-time fans of the Sleeping Dogs game have a new reason to pick it up and relive the story of Wei Shen: it's supposedly getting a live-action movie, with a promising director spearheading the project. The Indonesian filmmaker Timo Tjahjanto is fresh off filming the action-packed sequel to Nobody 2, and is preparing to spearhead Sleeping Dogs The Movie starring Marvel’s Shang-Chi, Simu Liu.
It appears that Simu Liu will play the role of undercover Cop Wei Shen, who infiltrates the Sun On Yee Triads. Liu personally shared the news on social media, confirming that the script is ready and that production of the film is progressing steadily.
For those unfamiliar with Sleeping Dogs, the game was developed by United Front Games and published by Square Enix. The story followed the footsteps of Wei Shen, a Hong Kong-American police officer who slowly gained the trust of the Sun On Yee triad to take it down from within.
The game delivered powerful open-world action-adventure with gut-punching martial-arts combat, parkour sections, and a gritty story set against the backdrop of Hong Kong. The game earned critical acclaim for its innovative twist on the GTA-clone genre. However, it underperformed in the sales department, leading to further sequels being cancelled. Later, Donnie Yen was slated to portray Wei Shen in 2017, but that version never progressed much beyond the boardroom.
Fast forward to 2025, and Simu Liu is embracing the role of Wei Shen. The charismatic Canadian actor confirmed earlier this year that a draft of the movie’s script had been completed.
Timo Tjahjanto also enters the picture, whose addition feels like a perfect fit. The director has made strides in recent years with his breakout movies, such as The Night Comes for Us, which showcased Tjahjanto’s attention to detail in jaw-dropping fight scenes.
Confidence in Timo Tjahjanto continues to grow as he recently directed Bob Odenkirk’s Nobody 2, meaning he has the grit to handle large-scale Hollywood productions. The interesting part is that Tjahjanto has been a vocal fan of Sleeping Dogs for a long time. In past social media interactions with Liu, he detailed how studio execs were unable to grasp the game’s potential and expressed his earnest desire to direct the movie.
For now, the film doesn’t have a studio partner or a release date. However, the script is complete, and with Tjahjanto’s directorial experience, Sleeping Dogs the movie might become a reality.
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