Cold War 1994
2026 Hong Kong film by Longman Leung
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Cold War 1994 (Chinese: 寒戰1994) is an upcoming Hong Kong crime thriller film written and directed by Longman Leung. A prequel to Cold War (2012) and Cold War 2 (2016), the film stars an ensemble cast with Chow Yun-fat, Aaron Kwok, and Tony Leung Ka-fai reprising their roles, and new additions Daniel Wu, Terrance Lau, Wu Kang-ren, Louis Koo, Tse Kwan-ho, Louise Wong, and Fish Liew. The story is split between 2017 and 1994, the latter revolving around a power struggle among local elites, triads, and the British government prior to the Handover of Hong Kong.
| Cold War 1994 | |
|---|---|
Teaser poster | |
| Traditional Chinese | 寒戰1994 |
| Jyutping | Hon4 Zin3 Jat1 Gau2 Gau2 Sei3 |
| Directed by | Longman Leung |
| Written by | Longman Leung |
| Produced by | Bill Kong |
| Starring | Daniel Wu Terrance Lau Wu Kang-ren Chow Yun-fat Aaron Kwok Louis Koo Tony Leung Ka-fai Tse Kwan-ho Louise Wong Fish Liew |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Edko Films |
Release date |
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| Country | Hong Kong |
| Language | Cantonese |
A third installment in the Cold War film series entered development before the release of Cold War 2 in 2015, with production originally slated to begin in 2019. The sequel was postponed for various reasons, and producer Bill Kong decided to change the setting from the modern day to before the Handover after producing Anita (2021). Envisioned as a two-part prequel, Cold War 1994 and Cold War 1995, pre-production began in March 2024 and principal photography started as a back-to-back production in June, with filming taking place in Hong Kong and London.
The film is scheduled for theatrical release in Hong Kong on 1 May 2026, followed by the direct sequel Cold War 1995, which is slated to be released in 2027.
Premise
In 2017, newly appointed Secretary for Security M.B. Lee goes missing and rival Peter Choi is assassinated in the United Kingdom. Sean Lau, the Commissioner of Police, seeks assistance from barrister Oswald Kan for investigations, which links them to a closed case from 1994.[1]
In 1994, prior to the dissolution of the Special Branch before the Handover of Hong Kong, Lee and Choi began their rivalry over a kidnapping case involving the Poon family, amidst the power struggle between the elites, triads, and the British government.[1][2]
Cast
- Daniel Wu as Peter Choi, the Deputy Commissioner of Police Operations.[3] The character was played by Chang Kuo-chu in Cold War 2 (2016).[4]
- Terrance Lau as M.B. Lee, the acting Chief Superintendent of the Organized Crime and Triad Bureau[3]
- Tony Leung Ka-fai as the older M.B. Lee, the newly appointed Secretary for Security.[3] Leung reprises his role from Cold War (2012) and Cold War 2.[5]
- Wu Kang-ren as Poon Chi-ngong, the elder son of the Poon family[6]
- Chow Yun-fat as Oswald Kan, a senior counsel.[3] Chow reprises his role from Cold War 2.[7]
- Aaron Kwok as Sean Lau, the Commissioner of Police.[3] Kwok reprises his role from Cold War and Cold War 2.[7]
- Louis Koo as Adrian Yip, the Chief Executive-elect.[3] HK01 described the character's design as modeled after former Chief Executive Donald Tsang and Chief Executive candidate John Tsang.[8]
- Tse Kwan-ho as Poon Chun-hang, the "formidable" Poon family patriarch[3][6]
- Louise Wong as Jodie Yuen, a triad leader[3]
- Fish Liew as Poon Yi-sum, a major figure within the Poon family[3][6]
- Aidan Gillen as F.M., MI6 Head of Asia-Pacific[3][6]
- Hugh Bonneville as Whitehall, the British Cabinet Minister[3][9]
Also appearing in the film are Karen Mok as Poon Yi-chi, a member of the Poon family;[10] Cecilia Yip as Sister Fong, a high-ranking triad boss;[10] Chen Yi-wen as Ma Ting-fong, a wealthy businessman;[10] Kevin Chu and Dee Ho as Roy Ho and Wu Tin-man, a probationary inspector and an undercover officer under M.B. Lee, previously portrayed by Tony Yang and Wu Yue in Cold War 2;[11] Stanley Yau as Neo Chan, a triad hitman;[11] Lokman Yeung as Eric Ma, an arms dealer;[11] and Mandy Tam as Yeung Bik-yi, a senior inspector loyal to M.B. Lee.[11] In addition, Yuen Biao will make a cameo appearance as Lee Shu-tong, the father of M.B. Lee;[12][10] while Kent Cheng,[10] Samantha Ko,[10] Michael Chow,[10] Carlos Chan,[13] Michael Ning,[10] Samuel Pang,[10] Jeffrey Ngai,[14] Dominic Lam,[10] Tai Bo,[15] Pat Ha,[16] and Stefan Wong were cast in undisclosed roles.[17]
Production
Development
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In late 2015, prior to the release of Cold War 2 (2016), Edko Films CEO Bill Kong initially planned to begin production on Cold War 3.[18] In April 2016, Apple Daily reported that Kong expressed interest to continue producing the sequel with Longman Leung and Sunny Luk, the director duo of Cold War (2012) and Cold War 2, but the duo were planning to part ways due to creative differences stemming from their work on Helios (2015) and Cold War 2, with plans to resign from all joint directing contracts and pursue individual projects.[19] Cold War 2 ultimately grossed over HK$62 million, becoming the highest-grossing Hong Kong film at that time, and the series amassed a total gross of over HK$100 million.[20][21] After its subsequent release on television and streaming platforms, both of which received positive audience reception, Kong decided to turn Cold War into a film series.[22]
In December 2016, lead actors Aaron Kwok and Tony Leung Ka-fai hinted at a potential sequel during the awards ceremony of iQIYI Scream Night.[23] Filming for Cold War 3 was initially scheduled to commence in late 2019, with Kwok, Leung, Chow Yun-fat, and Andy Lau returning to star.[24] However, due to the police misconduct allegations during the 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests, production was deemed inappropriate at that time and led to a delay.[24] In October 2019, Cold War 3 reportedly failed to obtain approval from mainland Chinese censors.[25] Production was further suspended in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[26] Kong explained that he could not find a suitable premise for the sequel, so he chose to produce Anita (2021) first instead.[27] The series was revived after the creators reached a breakthrough when Kong discussed a potential sequel with Leung, and Leung explained that they had already foreshadowed a prequel in the first film with a scene in which the ICAC interrogated M.B. Lee (played by Tony Leung Ka-fai) about an operation in 1995, so they agreed to shift the time setting from 2012 to pre-Handover.[27] By March 2024, eight years after Cold War 2, two further Cold War films received approval from the China Film Administration.[28][29] On 19 April, Daniel Wu, Wu Kang-ren, and Terrance Lau were announced as the main cast, with the films confirmed to be prequels set in 1994 and 1995 respectively.[29][30]
Filming
Cold War 1994 and Cold War 1995 were shot back-to-back,[31][32] with principal photography beginning in June 2024.[33] Filming started at the The Peninsula Hong Kong on 4 June, with Daniel Wu on set,[34] marking Wu's return to Hong Kong cinema after pursuing a career in Hollywood since the pandemic.[32][35] On 12 June, Fish Liew was revealed to be part of the cast after posting set photos on social media.[33][36] Taiwan-based Pat Ha returned to Hong Kong to join the shoot in mid-June,[16] while Jeffrey Ngai stated that he had joined the shoot after filming The First Frost (2025) in July.[14] Wu took a brief hiatus from filming to return to the United States for a racecar competition, then came to Hong Kong again in August to continue shooting.[37] The East Kowloon Corridor and Kai Tak Tunnel were closed for filming on 17 and 24 August, two Saturdays.[38] The production spanned over 100 days, with additional location shoots in London, England.[32][39]
Post-production
On 14 May 2025, the film was part of Marché du Film during the 78th Cannes Film Festival,[32][40] with Carlos Chan announced as part of the main cast.[13] The film was reported to be released in the fourth quarter of 2025 at Cannes.[41] In June, a 15-second teaser was released at the 2025 Shanghai International Film Festival.[42][43] In February 2026, the film was presented at the European Film Market.[44] On 18 March, a press conference held during the Hong Kong Filmart confirmed the return of Aaron Kwok, Tony Leung Ka-fai, and Chow Yun-fat, while also announcing new cast members Louis Koo, Tse Kwan-ho, Louise Wong, as well as Irish actor Aidan Gillen and English actor Hugh Bonneville.[2][45] In preparation for his scenes with Bonneville, Tse worked with a language coach to refine the pronunciation of his English dialogues.[46] Gillen told the South China Morning Post that he was familiar with Kong's work and joined the production knowing "[they'd] be in good hands".[9] An official trailer was released on 31 March, with Yuen Biao revealed to make a cameo appearance.[12][47] A launching ceremony was held on 2 April, announcing the cinematic re-release of Cold War and Cold War 2 on 16 and 23 April respectively, with Kevin Chu, Dee Ho, and Mandy Tam joining the cast.[48][49]