Simu Liu has revealed the director attached to the long-discussed Sleeping Dogs movie, offering a concrete update on a project that has spent years without clear forward movement. The announcement was shared through Liu’s official X account, where he publicly identified the filmmaker now set to helm the adaptation.
In his post, Liu wrote, “ladies and gents, the director of sleeping dogs.” The message directly quoted a separate post by Timo Tjahjanto, confirming his involvement. Tjahjanto responded in the quoted message by stating, “We’ll cross the oceans of time to make this.” While brief, the exchange marks the first explicit confirmation of a director for the film in its current form.
The Sleeping Dogs movie has been in development for more than a decade, with multiple attempts failing to reach production. Donnie Yen had previously been attached to the project and spent several years attempting to move the adaptation forward. On January 10, 2025, Yen confirmed that his version of the film was no longer moving ahead, effectively ending that iteration of the project. Shortly afterward, momentum shifted when Liu took over as the public face of the adaptation.
The film now has a completed script draft and is set to star Simu Liu as undercover police officer Wei Shen. With Timo Tjahjanto attached as director, the project is currently seeking a studio partner. While no official production start date has been announced, a potential release window around 2027 is being targeted. For a project with such a long history of delays, even this level of clarity feels significant.
Sleeping Dogs originated as a video game released in August 2012 for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC, later receiving a Definitive Edition on newer consoles in 2014. Despite strong sales and long-term fan interest, the franchise did not receive a direct sequel, and its developer, United Front Games, closed in 2016.
For now, the confirmation of a director represents a meaningful step forward. After years of stalled progress, the Sleeping Dogs movie appears to be moving again, even if the road ahead remains uncertain.
