Action man far from expendable

British actor Jason Statham appears at a Beijing event to promote his latest movie The Expendables 3, which will hit Chinese cinemas later this month. Jiang Dong / China Daily

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Jet Li had a leading role in the first installment of The Expendables, but he plays a smaller part in this film. Nonetheless, Zhang says Li, as one of the most globally recognizable Chinese action stars, remains a big attraction for the domestic audience.

"We don't worry about ticket sales if they (the stars) appear in the movie," Zhang says. He says he expects the movie to top this summer's Chinese movie market.

Statham says there is a high possibility he might star in a movie made for Chinese audiences in the future.

Twelve years ago he appeared in The Transporter alongside actress Shu Qi from Taiwan and directed by Corey Yuen from Hong Kong. Statham says he hopes to one day work with Chinese director Zhang Yimou.

His comments may have simply been platitudes to win support from the Asian market, but they have prompted much gossip in industry circles.

"Jason is traditionally known in China as a man of iron," says Liu Gang, who is in charge of developing games from LeTV, a Beijing-based video portal company that owns Le Vision Pictures. "He is a perfect model for us to design relevant game figures and win success in the market."

Statham appeared in Shanghai during his first trip to China to attend the 2014 China Digital Entertainment Expo and Conference (China Joy) to promote a mobile phone game The Expendables released by LeTV. The group had previously announced that it will release a TV game adapted from the movie within the year.

"Our cooperation with Hollywood will keep escalating, and The Expendables is beyond a movie," CEO Zhang says. "This will create an entertainment system to include many derivatives. More crossover in multiple fields will bring fresh experiences to the audience, whose different senses will be engaged."