In recent years, the curse of video game adaptations has seemingly lifted. We've seen some great films, and Hollywood and streaming services have learned how to work with source material. While there have still been some missteps, the undeniable improvement in quality and quantity has been remarkable. This makes it sadder that one of the announced films and truly promising projects failed to escape the development hell.

When the Sleeping Dogs movie adaptation was first announced seven years ago, the star of the project, Donnie Yen, expressed confidence that the film would eventually be released. Unfortunately, that miracle never came to pass—the filmmaker and actor himself confirmed that the project had been cancelled.

The original game tells the story of Wei Shen, a Hong Kong police officer working undercover to infiltrate one of the city's largest criminal organizations while also navigating the conflicts between rival crime groups. Considering the nature of Sleeping Dogs, we could imagine some of the great action movie traditions appearing on the widescreen. Awesome fighting sequences, slow motion and other tricks could have been excellent entertainment. However, for now, it will remain in the "what if" realm.

Main image: steampowered.com

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