Jackie Chan writing musical based on memoirs

The “Rush Hour” star reveals he is writing a stage adaptation of his best-selling memoir “I Am Jackie Chan” and the musical will focus on his parents, his early education at the Peking Opera School and his rise to stardom through music. “We are looking for a director for the musical right now,” Chan told reporters at a press conference at the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in New York Tuesday. “It’s all very exciting,” Hollwyood Reporter quoted him as saying. The conference was part of Chan’s two-day swing through New York, which also included a Lincoln Center reception celebrating Hong Kong Cinema Monday, at which Chan was a guest of honour. Later that night, the “Rush Hour” star also received a lifetime achievement award at the New York Asian Film Festival, which screened his new film “Chinese Zodiac”. Chan said his musical will be told through his voice as narrator of his life, focusing on his early youth, his time spent performing acrobatics with the children’s performance group the Seven Little Fortunes, and his quest to step out from behind the shadow of the iconic Bruce Lee. In the past, Chan has talked about how his love for musicals like “The Sound of Music” was fostered at a young age. Chan also said that he is working on the follow-up to his 1998 autobiography, which is tentatively titled “I Am Still Jackie Chan”. “The original book was 15 years ago, and my career has been very, very exciting and interesting since then,” he said.