Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jackie Chan star in the bizarre trailer for the international adventure film The Iron Mask. When it comes to international action heroes, it’s hard to think of two names any bigger than Schwarzenegger and Chan. Both performers first came to prominence in the 1980s, Schwarzenegger in America and Chan on the other side of the Pacific, and later went on to be considered legends of the screen.
Of course, Schwarzenegger began his career as a bodybuilder, starring in the influential documentary Pumping Iron, then went on to become a bona fide movie star with his breakout roles in Conan the Barbarian and The Terminator. Chan meanwhile got his start in Hong Kong martial arts movies, becoming the biggest star in Asian cinema in the 1980s and ‘90s before crossing over to American films with roles in Rush Hour and Shanghai Noon. The legendary stars have however seen their American box office fortunes take a hit in recent years, though both retain their star power overseas.
That international box office clout is no doubt a big reason why Chan and Schwarzenegger were both recruited for the film The Iron Mask, which came out in China last August. A UK trailer for the film was just dropped by Signature Entertainment and it puts a lot of emphasis on the meeting of the two action movie icons, though it’s clear the movie is about a lot more than the one-on-one between Schwarzenegger and Chan. See the trailer in the space below:
This is of course not the first time Schwarzenegger and Chan have shared the screen, as both had roles in the 2004 movie Around the World in 80 Days. Their latest collaboration The Iron Mask sees Chan playing a prisoner locked up in the Tower of London and Schwarzenegger as a character named James Hook who may or may not be Captain Hook (in the film he does not have a hook, but he does have a terrible wig that at one point Chan removes with his sword). If that weren’t weird enough, the movie also includes an epic adventure story that going by the trailer has a completely different tone to the silly Schwarzenegger/Chan scenes, and includes flying dragons.
In addition to Schwarzenegger and Chan, the movie’s cast includes the late Rutger Hauer and Charles Dance, as well as Jason Flemyng in the lead role of adventurer Jonathan Green. Though The Iron Mask seems to have a lot more to offer than just Schwarzenegger and Chan, including big, sprawling special effects scenes and a lot of period action, there’s no doubt that the teaming of those two great action stars is one of the movie’s main selling points. Unfortunately, the movie is already a flop with just $14 million grossed worldwide, against a reported $49 million budget, since its China release last August.
More: Arnold Schwarzenegger’s 10 Best Movies, According To Rotten Tomatoes
The Iron Mask is set to hit UK cinemas and digital on April 10, 2020.
Source: Signature Entertainment
