One of the things I wished I asked Wilson Yip when I met him during TIFF, instead of blubbering like an idiot, was if he had his eye on any upcoming actors to take over the action star throne in Hong Kong. In this day of pop-stars playing hero was there someone out there who could act and also open up a can of whup-ass when called upon.

Apparently someone at an independent American studio thinks that such an heir is Philip Ng Won-Lung. With a couple action related films already under his belt [House of Fury and Invisible Target] he may not have the clout to lead a HK film but someone stateside is willing to take a chance on him.

Philip Ng has been invited by an independent film studio in USA to play the leading role in an action film tentatively called Nomad. To accommodate Philip Ng's schedule, they push shooting, which takes place in USA, from November 2007 to January 2008. The studio sets its sights on Philip Ng on the account that he's one of the new generation Asian actors who possesses true martial arts ability. The studio is employing mainly newcomers, including the director and the lead actress, for the film. Filming will take for over two months and reportedly, Philip Ng receives a seven digit pay for this project.

Personally, I still think Jing Wu is long overdue to bust it wide open in HK. But for the benefit of the doubt if something like this does pan out I would welcome Ng as well.