'Wolf Warrior 2' wins the box office battle

The military-themed movie Wolf Warrior 2 features Wu Jing in multiple roles, including director and star, and is set in an unnamed African country facing a civil war. [Photo provided to China Daily]

For Wu, the movie is a dream project.

The former martial arts champion shot to prominence with kung fu productions, such as the 1999 TV series, Legend of Dagger Lee, directed by Hong Kong filmmaker Yuen Woo-ping, and two crime thrillers－SPL: Sha Po Lang and SPL 2: A Time For Consequences.

But Wu, who was then seen as an heir to the legacy of China's action superstars like Jackie Chan, Jet Li and Donnie Yen, wanted to go beyond just fighting on screen.

So, after co-directing the 2008 thriller Legendary Assassin with Hong Kong filmmaker Li Chung-chi, Wu began working on the Wolf Warrior idea. He was inspired by reports about Chinese peacekeeping missions and efforts to evacuate Chinese who were caught up in wartorn areas overseas.

"When I watched news clips of these events, I felt proud of China," says the 43-year-old.

Wu says he was then disappointed with Chinese showbiz for favoring only young pop idols.

So, he wanted to change the discourse and make films based on Chinese soldiers.

After the Wenchuan earthquake in Southwest China's Sichuan province in 2008, Wu volunteered to help. There he saw Chinese soldiers risking their lives to rescue survivors.

"After that, I wanted to showcase the kindness, wit, courage and sacrifice of Chinese soldiers," he says.

Wu had to make the first Wolf Warrior movie mainly with his own money because very few potential investors believed that a military-themed movie could become a commercial success in 2008.