Jackie Chan is returning to one of his best-known roles, with Armour of God IV: Ultimatum now greenlit and principal photography scheduled to begin in July. The 72-year-old actor will once again play the treasure hunter Asian Hawk in a new chapter that is eyeing a worldwide release in 2027.
The film follows a global hunt for an ancient artifact known as the Tumar, a prize said to carry a reward of more than $20 million. Filming will take place across Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan, marking a shift to new locations for a franchise that has followed Chan’s stunt-heavy adventurer across decades.
Chan said this is his first project with Kazakh partners, but he made clear it will not be the last. He added that he has never filmed there before and that the new setting opens up many visual and creative ideas that can be brought to audiences. He also said more announcements are coming soon.
Robert Kun is directing the film, with Salem Entertainment producing. The project is part of the newly formed Alem Fund, an Astana International Financial Centre-registered fund created to bring more productions to Kazakhstan and raise the region’s movie and media profile. The first plot details suggest the story will span countries and tie the chase for the Tumar to a larger international adventure.
The new film continues a franchise that began with Armour of God in 1986, followed by Armour of God 2: Operation Condor in 1991 and CZ12, also known as Chinese Zodiac, in 2012. Four decades after the first movie, Chan is still extending the same character’s story, this time with a production footprint that reaches well beyond his usual action-comedy terrain.
Chan’s return also comes as he has recently reappeared in other familiar territory, including Karate Kid: Legends, and he is reportedly set to come back for Rush Hour 4. But Armour of God IV: Ultimatum is the project that gives him Asian Hawk again, and the franchise’s next move now has a start date, a destination and a clear pitch: a globe-spanning chase built around one expensive artifact.
