Sleeping Dogs movie hits a major milestone as Shang-Chi star Simu Liu says "studios don't seem to understand how important this IP is"

Shang-Chi star Simu Liu is fighting tooth and nail to get the popular video game Sleeping Dogs adapted on the big screen, and fans can't thank him enough. The Marvel actor is set to produce and star in the upcoming adaptation, which now has a finished script.

Liu shared the news on his social media accounts, unveiling the first page of the script written by Tze Chun, who recently worked as co-showrunner of Boots Riley’s Amazon series I'm a Virgo. The image doesn't reveal any details about the story or the rest of the team, however, as the production is in very early stages.

The actor and producer is now in the process of getting the movie made. Asked by a fan how things worked out with Square Enix, the company that created the video game, Liu replied: "They're absolutely great it's the studios that don't seem to understand how important this IP is BUT we will get them there."

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Earlier this year, Liu revealed that it's been "tiring" getting the adaptation greenlit, as "few film projects make it from pitch phase to greenlight."

in honour of our sleeping dogs script draft being done, here’s my sleepy dog 👍 pic.twitter.com/l1KsFNDj5VOctober 18, 2025

"Pitching execs who don't understand the game has been tiring. Everyone's overwhelming love of Sleeping Dogs here has really given us life! First a movie, then a sequel game for everyone… that's always been the dream," he wrote on Twitter in January.

Back in 2017, Donnie Yen had initially been signed on to star in the adaptation, but the actor recently confirmed that the project is not moving forward. Liu's is, by the sounds of it, so let's hope we get to see the Sleeping Dogs on the big screen very soon one way or another.

Set in Hong Kong, the game revolves around an undercover police officer, Wei Shen, infiltrating the Sun On Yee Triad organization. Things get a bit messy, as you might expect, and the protagonist has to start punching bad guys at an alarming rate.

While we wait for the Sleeping Dogs adaptation, you can give Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings a rewatch and use our guide to watching the Marvel movies in order while you're at it.

Mireia is a UK-based culture journalist and critic. She previously worked as Deputy Movies Editor at Digital Spy, and her work as a freelance writer has appeared in WeLoveCinema and Spanish magazines Fotogramas, Esquire, and Elle. She is also a published author, having written a book about Studio Ghibli's 'Kiki's Delivery Service' in 2023. Talking about anime and musicals is the best way to grab her attention.