andPOP - Pop Culture With Substance

Jackie Chan will once again show off his martial arts skills in his latest movie, “The Spy Next Door.”

According to the Hollywood Reporter, the action comedy centres on a man (Chan) who is asked to babysit his neighbour’s kids, but finds himself fending off secret agents when one of the children accidentally downloads a secret code.

Brian Levant (”Are We There Yet?”) will direct, while Jonathan Bernstein and Jim Greer, whose previous writing credits include “Just My Luck” and “Max Keeble’s Big Move,” will pen the screenplay.

Chan, 54, starred in the hit “Rush Hour” trilogy and was recently seen on the big screen alongside fellow martial-arts actor Jet Li in “The Forbidden Kingdom” which has grossed more than $100 million worldwide.

He will next appear in the Hong Kong-produced drama “The Shinjuku Incident.”

Actor Jackie Chan attended a televised protest in Hong Kong to condemn invasion of privacy by local media, reports the BBC.

The event came about after an incident involving pop singer Gillian Chung, one half of the group Twins. Last week, Hong Kong magazine Easy Finder published photographs of Chung backstage after a concert. They were taken secretly, and show Chung adjusting her bra.

The magazine is known for making use of hidden cameras and paparazzi photographers.

Chan told reporters that the publication of the photographs is a harmful message to be sending to children.

“They will go back to school and take pictures of girls’ underwear,” he said.

Chung’s bandmate, Charlene Choi, also attended the protest rally, along with actors Andy Lau and Rosamund Kwan.

More than 1700 official complaints over the photographs have been filed with local media regulators.

Jackie Chan apparently had one too many drinks on Monday night and rudely interrupted a concert by Taiwanese musician Jonathan Lee in Hong Kong.

According to Ming Pao Daily News, Chan suddenly and unexpectedly jumped on stage at the show and demanded a duet with the singer.

The paper quoted Chan as admitting while on stage that he was intoxicated.

During the interruption, audience members apparently began to heckle Chan. He responded to the taunts by hurling insults.

The previous night, Chan had been an invited guest performer for Lee’s show, but no such arrangement had been made for the concert on Monday.

After being stuck in development for more than two years, Rush Hour 3 is being hastened into production.

E!Online reports that New Line Cinema has penned the movie into their 2007 summer schedule. Stars Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker, as well as director Brett Ratner, have all signed on to the third chapter in the action-comedy franchise about two mismatched cops.

The movie was supposed to start production in 2003, but Tucker, despite being offered $20 million, demanded script approval. In the meantime, Chan and Ratner moved on with other projects.

Tucker will still receive $20 million, and he will also get 20 per cent of the gross. In exchange, he has agreed to forego script approval. Chan takes home $15 million against 15 per cent of the gross, and he also owns distribution rights in China and Hong Kong.

The studio will bet a $120 million budget on the film. The original 1998 Rush Hour was budgeted at $35 million and made $140 million, and the 2001 sequel earned $226 million on a cost of $90 million. No wonder they’re in such a rush to get this off the ground.

Production on “Rush Hour 3″ is stalled because co-star Chris Tucker is making too many demands according to Jackie Chan.

“He wants too much power. The movie company hasn’t obliged. He wants final editing rights and the final look at the movie and so on,” said Chan, 51.

“He’s still a new actor. How many movies has he made? Two movies have already made him very famous and made him a lot of money. He needs to learn slowly.”

Tucker pulled out of the movie last month along with director Brett Ratner who signed on to direct “X-Men 3.”

But Chan said that Tucker is a good friend and insists that he will be in the third installment of the buddy action series. During a press conference in Beijing on Wednesday Chan said that he hopes to start filming in early 2006.

The Hong Kong Star reports that Tucker thinks Chan is too much of a pushover.

“When he asks me what I want, I say ‘I don’t care,’ and he’ll scold me, saying, ‘They make so much money off us. We’ll have to get it back’,” said Chan.

In the meantime Chan is working on another movie with director Zhang Yimou whose works includes “Hero,” and “House of Flying Daggers.”

Chan didn’t reveal any details of the movie but says that it was his idea and that Zhang will work on the script.