A kind of Open Letter to Jackie Chan: The Future of the Jackie Chan Extended Universe

Jackie Chan turned 71 years old on 7 April 2025. I actually wanted to publish a text in his honour on this day. But like Jackie himself, I was once again too busy. However, there is a reason for everything, and since then I have been able to collect further arguments, which I would like to share with the world today – belatedly on Big Brother’s day of honour.

It felt like we had only just celebrated Jackie’s 70th birthday and the next one was already around the corner. This may be my individual sense of time or has the world really moved faster in recent years? Be that as it may, my belated congratulations to Jackie today are quite different from what I had planned.

Before I go into detail, I would like to remind you that Jackie Chan has been in the media since day one. This is no exaggeration and perhaps there is another Guinness World Record hidden here for him. But he was actually mentioned by name in a Hong Kong magazine the day after he was born (without the baby photo, of course, which was taken later).

The display can be translated as follows:

Consulate worker couple gives birth to 13-pound baby
[News from this newspaper] Yesterday morning (April 7), a giant baby boy weighing nearly 13 pounds was born at Nethersole Hospital in Hong Kong. This is a record in Hong Kong. The giant baby’s parents, both surnamed Chen, also work at the Peak. The man works at the US Consulate as a kitchen helper, and the woman works as a laundry maid at the French Consulate. Since their son was born in Hong Kong, in order to commemorate their son, they decided to name him Chen Gangsheng [Chan Kong-sang, author’s note].

During an episode of “Friday Night with Jonathan Ross” on 16 July 2010, Jackie Chan told how he was almost sold as a baby. Dear Guinness World Records Committee, I hereby officially nominate Jackie Chan for the honour of “longest-covered by media and still active superstar” – or something like that, you are the professionals.

Jackie Chan is still active and has the support of friends, colleagues, fans and his loyal stunt team. Charles Shen Wei-Chao (身为超), member of the 9th generation of the JCST, shared a beautiful birthday video with other members in his private account, while I myself had the honour of producing a promo video with Temur Mamisashvili from the 8th generation for the German home cinema premiere of PANDA PLAN (2024), in which he extends warm congratulations to his boss and mentor.

To conclude, at least on this introductory topic, I would like to join all the well-wishers and wish Big Brother Jackie Chan all the very best. Let us now move on to item two on the agenda: business as usual.

Second Honourary Oscar must be given

Sony Pictures has been pushing their promotion for KARATE KID: LEGENDS since March 2025. The film has now been released in a few countries and the feedback has been extremely positive. Mark Hughes from Forbes magazine recognises good chances for a surprise hit this summer (read here).

A few days after Jackie’s 71st birthday, on 10 April, the Academy announced the introduction of the Stunt Design Oscar. Almost exactly one year earlier, I made my own prediction in my detailed article „“You can win an Oscar for playing a stuntman but not for being one” – A comment“ which seems to have come true. From 2027, films will be considered for the Oscars in the ‘Achievement in Stunt Design’ category for the first time. So I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Jackie Chan, the master of all classes, said the following in an interview with Haute Living on 6 May (read here):

Of course, I always do my own stunts. It’s who I am. That’s not changing until the day I retire, which is never!

A bold statement, considering that Jackie often criticised the press during his career for not being perceived as a serious actor similar to Dustin Hoffman or Robert De Niro. But who is to say that he can’t be both a character actor and a stunt legend? It worked wonderfully with THE FOREIGNER (2017).

And during all the promotion for Jackie Chan’s return to Hollywood as Mr Han in KARATE KID: LEGENDS, two significant interviews almost went unnoticed. Oscar winner Ke Huy Quan gave Chan the Man props in an interview with KCRW (89.9 FM) when he described PROJECT A (1983) as the starting point for his motivation for martial arts, stunts and filmmaking (read here). In an interview with WIRED a month earlier, he explained that he is often mistaken for Jackie Chan, but this honours him and motivates him to work harder for his own legacy.

Now, these may all be beautiful milestones that happened completely independently of each other. But sometimes great things are nudged along with a little help, by the man (and woman) behind the curtain, early on, to bring a precisely prepared narrative to its climax when the time is right.

Passionate film makers simply know how to write a good script. Welcome to Hollywood!

The Jackie Chan universe expands

For my part, I welcomed you readers years ago to the Jackie Chan Extended Universe (JCEU), which, I surmised at the outset, is currently expanding faster and further than in years past. The above mentions are just a few public points of my argument. Even though I have explained the concept of the JCEU several times in various social media posts and my podcast, I would like to take this opportunity to go into more detail, as the concept will become more important in the future. I am convinced of that.

An important basis is provided by my podcast episode „Willkommen im JCEU, dem JACKIE CHAN EXTENDED UNIVERSE“ (watch here) from 1 January 2022 and my article „Clothes make the Chan: Breaking the Fourth Wall“ from 21 February 2024 (read here).

Here is a summary of the term Jackie Chan Extended Universe (JCEU):

The Jackie Chan Extended Universe, abbreviated JCEU, puts the work and life of Jackie Chan in direct context with friends, colleagues and fans who have been inspired by it to honour the so-called Jackie Chan Style in their own careers.

In addition, it is repeatedly shown that Jackie Chan is not only active on film, but also on stage, as a singer, philanthropist, entrepreneur and much more. Accordingly, the JCEU is active in almost all media: film, TV, internet, book, magazine, home cinema, streaming, music, advertising, entrepreneurship, charity.

It was me who coined the term, but it came from the inspiration of all of Jackie Chan’s activities, big and small, that hold that universe together. And since Chan the Man is still active in many areas – and, according to the interview in Haute Living, intends to remain so until his retirement, which will never come – and also likes to draw references to his own earlier activities, this fictional universe continues to expand. And we find ourselves right in the middle of it. Call me the Watcher (please don’t!).

The whole thing is perceived and kept alive by us fans, the Jackie Chan Family, and can only work if certain moral principles are adhered to. Principles that Jackie Chan stands for as a person and employer. At this point, I don’t want to put words in the mouth of Jackie Chan and the JC Group when I set out the following JCEU rules for myself as a content creator and fans who feel addressed. In my social media channels, which have become an important safe space for many fans around the world, I see it as my responsibility as an operator/admin to ensure harmony among each other.

A core element of the Jackie Chan team, which can be extended to all fans, the Jackie Chan Family, is: “Every family member represents our brand image. Always remember this and use it as a guide when dealing with others.”

Source: Harper’s BAZAAR x Jackie Chan | Interview (2024) (4K) incl. Jackie’s private rooms

So what is my ambition for all my activities in the Jackie Chan Extended Universe?

• News for fans: I keep fans worldwide up to date about Jackie Chan.
• Biographical writing: I create biographically relevant out-of-the-box content – in print and online – that entertains and also educates more about Jackie Chan.
• Jackie Chan Family: I enter into collaborations with new talents and established greats to celebrate togetherness and to make common goals more achievable.
• Say thank you: I honour my idol Jackie Chan with my own books, articles, podcasts, posts and much more and keep the Jackie Chan Style alive in the hope of inspiring others.

To paraphrase Quentin Tarantino, who presented Jackie Chan with the MTV Lifetime Achievement Award back in 1995: Jackie inspired me to create my own work at JCEU, where I can let off steam creatively and invite like-minded people to have fun with it.

I take my role as a self-appointed Jackie Chan historian seriously. I am discreet with information and endeavour to get the best for my contacts, interview and collabo partners. Professionalism and fun are my top priorities. Teamwork makes the dream work. Now is also a good time to thank Sony Pictures for their trust.

On 13.05.2025 and 15.05.2025, we published collabo posts on Instagram showing Jackie dancing and doing tricks behind the scenes of KARATE KID: LEGENDS photo shoots. The balancing act between a highly professional way of working at an international level and the childlike joy as a fan that everyone can understand is what I want to achieve with my entire contribution to Jackie Chan and continue to expand in the future, as a thank you for all the joy, wisdom and motivation he has given me – us – and, according to his own statement, wants to continue to give.

Finally, I would like to repeat myself by wishing you, Jackie Chan, all the best for your birthday. Furthermore, many healthy years with joy in life and nice people in it. I am currently working on a big project that I hope to publish soon. It would be an honour and a privilege to leave a joint project with you, in whatever form, to the world. My idea teased above could be the first step.

Written in May 2025

Thorsten Boose

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