Former WWE Diva Eve Torres Joins Jackie Chan in 'Skiptrace'

Back when WWE Diva Eve Torres was still cracking skulls in the squared circle, she was being groomed for a possible breakout as an actress. She had a role in the French wrestling comedy Queens of the Ring, and was rumored to be starring alongside Mike "The Miz" Mizanin in The Marine 4: Moving Target until that role went to Summer Rae. But she left the company to pursue an acting career on her own, and it just got a boost with a role in Jackie Chan's next film, Skiptrace.

Torres took to her website and revealed the news that she has joined the film, and while she didn't name Skiptrace specifically it's the film he's working on now. It's an action comedy that sees Chan as a straight-laced Hong Kong detective who goes after a notorious criminal with the help of a mouthy American gambler played by Johnny Knoxville. No word on Torres' role but it has no choice but be extremely sexy. Renny Harlin (Die Hard 2) is directing with Chinese actress Fan Bingbing (X-men: Days of Future Past) also on board.

Torres can be seen regularly on the series Matador, which airs on the El Rey network.

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Johnny Knoxville Replaces Seann William Scott in Jackie Chan's 'Skiptrace'

Still going strong after literally busting his ass for forty years, Jackie Chan is sticking with lighter stuff like The Karate Kid and buddy comedies similar to Rush Hour. His latest, Skiptrace, is a project he developed and was to co-star Seann William Scott and X-men: Days of Future Past's Fan Bingbing. But Scott is now out, and Chan has basically made a lateral move by replacing him with Johnny Knoxville.

The Jackass front-moron will play a mouthy American jackass in Skiptrace, which has Chan as a Hong Kong detective who teams up with a gambler to save his niece and take out a notorious criminal. The hope is to capture the same feel as the classic Midnight Run, but given the recent output by director Renny Harlin (The Legend of Hercules) that seems like an unattainable goal. 

The combination of Bingbing and Chan should make Skiptrace a huge hit in China where it's now filming.

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Renny Harlin Replaces Sam Fell as Director of Jackie Chan's 'Skiptrace'

In a just world where things are fair and true, Renny Harlin would have a tough time bouncing back after the unmitigated disaster that was The Legend of Hercules. But this being Hollywood, the former Die Hard 2 director has been keeping busy. He recently agreed to direct crime flick, Fallen Cross, and now he's in talks for Jackie Chan's latest action-comedy. No, it's not Rush Hour 4 or Shanghai Noon 3, but it might as well be.

Last year we learned of Skiptrace, which would pair Chan with comedy also-ran Seann William Scott and Fan Bingbing (X-men: Days of Future Past). At the time it was to be animator Sam Fell (ParaNorman) making his live-action directing debut with filming to have begun in January. But due to various behind-the-scenes issues, like the production company shutting down, there was a delay and now Fell is out with Harlin stepping in.

Based on an idea cooked up by Chan, he plays a good cop whose niece gets in trouble with a criminal he's been chasing for years. The only way to save her is to track down a fast-talking American and head off to Hong Kong. Filming on Skiptrace is to begin in August. [THR]

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Jackie Chan and Sean William Scott Team for Action-Comedy 'Skiptrace'

Remember when Hollywood was actively trying to make Seann William Scott happen? Somebody thought that guy who played Stifler in American Pie really needed to break out, and Scott was soon placed as comic relief in a string of action movies. To be fair he was pretty good in The Rundown opposite Dwayne Johnson, but Bulletproof Monk with Chow Yun-Fat was a high-profile dud, and now years later it looks like Scott is heading back into similar territory again.

In the strangest casting announcement of the day (so far, it's still early), Scott will join Jackie Chan and Fan Bingbing (X-men: Days of Future Past) in Skiptrace. The action-comedy is based on an original idea by Chan, who has assembled an army of five writers to pen the story in which he'll play a Hong Kong detective on a crime boss's trail for over a decade. Bingbing will play his niece who is wrapped up in the syndicate, while Scott will do what he does best, portraying a fast-talking American gambler who gets mixed up in the investigation.

And the final oddball twist? The film will be directed by animator Sam Fell, who helmed last year's ParaNorman. It sounds like Chan is trying to relive his Rush Hour and Shanghai Noon days, and whatever you think of those movies (not a fan of them, personally) they made a ton of money. So this is worth keeping an eye on even if it sounds like a potential train wreck.[Variety]

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