Stoic asskicker (and star of China’s blockbuster Ip Man martial arts franchise) Donnie Yen has joined the cast of Vin Diesel’s latest installment in the xXx series. Yen’s part in the film is so-far unrevealed, but presumably he’ll be assisting Diesel’s returning Xander Cage in his various elaborate stunts, fueled only by bravado, jet ski fuel, and the inexplicable belief that people have been feverishly awaiting a sequel to 2005’s xXx: State Of The Union.
Yen joins a cast that includes Toni Collette, Ong-Bak star Tony Jaa, and a returning Samuel L. Jackson. Interestingly, Variety is also reporting that Yen’s old Hero co-star Jet Li has apparently left the film; it’s it true, we can presumably chalk Li’s absence up to byzantine Hollywood union rules that limit the amount of fast-kicking badassery that can be on set at any given time.