Donnie Yen to retire from kungfu films after Ip Man 4

After 10 years, the Ip Man movie franchise will be coming to an end, with the release of the final movie, Ip Man 4: The Finale, later this year.

At a press conference for the movie in Beijing on Wednesday (Nov 27), Hong Kong actor and martial arts star Donnie Yen announced that he will be bidding goodbye to the world of kungfu films with the end of the Ip Man movie franchise.

Donnie shared that he’s extremely proud of the movie, saying, “Movie franchises typically don’t last beyond the first two sequels. When you go on to shoot the third instalment, the quality of the product will usually go downhill. But for Ip Man, the first three movies were very well-received by the public. I believe that we wouldn’t disappoint the public this time as well.”

​Despite this, Donnie shared that it's time to give up on kungfu films and focus on other genres.

“As an actor and movie producer, after shooting so many films, I have some movies that are well-received by the public, and others not so much. While on this path full of challenges, I’ve shot quite a number of kungfu flicks. Prior to Ip Man, I had always preferred shooting period movies. When I knew that I was going to do Ip Man, everyone wondered how someone with an image like mine could film Ip Man. But now, the roles are reversed. Now that I’ve filmed Ip Man, how can I go on to take on other movie genres?” he questioned.

“As an actor, we have to constantly look forward, this is the only way of life. We have to look ahead and explore, improve, this is the meaning of life,” Donnie said, expressing his desire to branch out and try something new.