Simu Liu says the Sleeping Dogs movie has a real path forward

Simu Liu says the long-in-development Sleeping Dogs film adaptation now has a real path forward, with a director and a production company attached and negotiations with publisher Square Enix under way.

The Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings actor gave the update in a reply to a fan who asked about the project's status on X, IGN reports.

Liu added that the team is in the dealmaking process with the game studio, describing the negotiation as a personal milestone because of his own regard for Square Enix, and thanked fans for their support.

A long-running adaptation

Liu took over development of a film based on the 2012 Square Enix and United Front Games crime drama after Donnie Yen confirmed in early 2025 that his own version had been cancelled. IGN reported at the time that a Sleeping Dogs movie was in development, with Liu set to produce and to star as a live-action Wei Shen.

The director Liu referred to was confirmed late last year as Timo Tjahjanto, whose credits include Nobody 2 and Killers. Story Kitchen, a studio that works on video game adaptations, is also involved, and Liu said in October 2025 that a script draft had been completed.

Story Kitchen's official description sets the film in a contemporary, neon-lit neo-noir Hong Kong, with Wei Shen an undercover police officer torn between his duty as an officer of the law and his loyalty to the Triad family he is infiltrating, many of whose members he grew up with.

Sleeping Dogs was developed by United Front Games and published by Square Enix in 2012, and IGN's review of it at the time scored the game 8.5 out of 10.

The film still has no firm release date or window, and Liu and the rest of the team have to conclude the agreement with Square Enix before it can move toward one. Liu is set to return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Avengers: Doomsday in December, and says he is still pushing to get a Shang-Chi sequel made.