“I’m not dead yet,” Jet Li told the press while promoting his biography, Beyond Life And Death: Jet Li Looking For Jet Li.
Jet Li’s death was rumored in March 2023. Not true, thankfully. The Romeo Must Die actor is healthy. It raises the question: What happened to Jet Li? Why is he not in Hollywood films anymore?
Rise of Jet Li
Lethal Weapon 4 star Jet Li was a Hong Kong action movie legend before playing Wah Sing Ku. In 1994’s Fist of Legend and the Once Upon a Time in China series, he became one of the world’s best martial arts actors and action stars. Despite his talent and fame, Li failed to conquer Hollywood like Jackie Chan. The public knows who he is, and he made many enjoyable action films, but he was always on the verge of smashing the glass ceiling.
This does not mean he’s failed—far from it—but it’s an intriguing point to consider. The point in Jet Li’s career that altered must be found here. Jet Li—what happened?
The Hollywood Journey of Jet Li
After Lethal Weapon 4, Jet Li was popular. The action films had decent budgets but weren’t hits. Li made several movies that became video store classics and Friday night TV favorites. Li and Aaliyah star in Andrzej Bartkowiak’s 2000 action film Romeo Must Die, which incorporates Corey Yeun’s martial arts choreography. James Wong’s The One, starring Jason Statham and Carla Gugino, followed Li around the multiverse to kill his other selves a year later. Li reteamed with Bartkowiak in 2003 to make Cradle 2 the Grave, which contains DMX.
Li would appear in B-grade action films for 20 years. He has appeared in blockbusters like 2008’s The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor as the villain and the first three Expendables films as Yin Yang. He played Mulan’s Emperor of China in 2020’s live-action remake.
Not a bad filmography, right?
He refused Matrix entry
Jet Li’s career changed in 2003 when he was cast as Seraph in The Matrix Reloaded and Revolutions. Introducing Hong Kong action cinema to western viewers and featuring Yuen Woo-ping’s stunning martial arts sequences, the 1999 film became a worldwide phenomenon. Yeun worked with Li on Fist of Legend and Tai Chi Master, then returned for The Matrix Reloaded, so there was a natural chemistry that may have led to screen brilliance.
Years later, he revealed the worry that kept him from taking the post. “It was a commercial struggle for me,” he told Abacus News. “I realized the Americans wanted me to film for three months but be with the crew for nine. My moves were to be recorded and copied into a digital library for six months. By the end of the recording, they would own these moves.”
Despite spending his life perfecting his martial arts, Li said the filmmakers could claim his motions and likeness forever. Li’s concerns were justified decades later, since digital likeness remains a contentious subject in the entertainment industry.
Li declined the Oracle’s bodyguard duty and Collin Chou played Seraph.
Jet Li—what happened?
After rejecting The Matrix sequels, Jet Li continued to work in Hollywood, but his attitude on using his computer likeness may have irritated greedy CEOs and blackballed him from bigger projects. His performance in The Matrix may have propelled him to greater fame and led to other opportunities, but he stuck to his ideals, which should be respected. Collin Chou didn’t go viral after playing Seraph either.
What happened to Jet Li? Li, like his characters, bounced back and is a beloved action actor worldwide, even though he never completely captured Hollywood.