Blades of the Guardians
Blades of the Guardians is an upcoming wuxia film directed by Yuen Woo-ping, based on the manhua Biao Ren. The film was produced by Damai Entertainment in association with Beijing Dengfeng International Culture Communications Company and Woo Ping Pictures. The film stars Wu Jing in the title role, alongside Nicholas Tse, Yu Shi, Chen Lijun, Zhang Jin, Tony Leung Ka-fai, and Jet Li.
The film will be released in mainland China on February 17, 2026, during the Chinese New Year.
Cast
- Wu Jing as Dao Ma
- Nicholas Tse as Diting
- Yu Shi as Shu
- Chen Lijun as Ayuya
- Sun Yizhou as Zhi Shilang
- Ci Sha as He Yixuan
- Li Yunxiao as Yan Ziniang
- Tony Leung Ka-fai as Lao Mo
- Zhang Jin as Two-headed snake
- Kara Wai as Madam Yuchi
- Zhang Yi as Pei Shiju
- Jet Li as Chang
- Liu Yaowen as Pei Xingyan
Production
Preparation and first shooting
The film was registered and green-lit in May 2023, then in December 2023, it was revealed that Yuen Woo-ping will direct the live-action film. In June 2024, it was announced that Wu Jing will produce the film and star as the lead role Dao Ma, with Nicholas Tse joining the cast. In the following months, Yu Shi and Jet Li joined the cast. The project was an adaptation of the Biao Ren manhua by Xu Xianzhe. Director Yuen Woo-ping and producer/star Wu Jing were attracted by the traditional chivalrous code and contemporary sentiment contained in the comic after reading it, and the project was positioned as a "comic book adaptation martial arts blockbuster" aimed at revitalizing martial arts films.To meet Yuen Woo-ping's high standards for action scenes, all main actors had to join the crew in advance before filming began, undergoing systematic closed training including traditional martial arts, swordsmanship, and horse riding. To closely resemble the protagonist's character, Wu Jing made long-term physical preparations, growing a beard and long hair in advance, and undergoing rigorous equestrian and action training.
Principal photography officially began in Xinjiang and Beijing on July 26, 2024., and the first round of shooting wrapped on November 27 of the same year.
Replacement of the lead actress
In June 2025, when the film had been completed and entered the post-production stage, the lead actress, Nashi, who played the important role of Ayuya, was embroiled in controversy related to her educational background. The Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Joint Working Group issued a notice stating that she was suspected of falsifying her college entrance examination application materials. Previously, she had been exposed for being admitted to the Shanghai Theatre Academy with a lower score through the Inner Mongolia "targeted training" policy, but she failed to fulfill the agreement and returned to her hometown to work, which was suspected of being a breach of contract.This incident triggered widespread public questioning of educational fairness and celebrity privilege, and the storm quickly spread to the film project. The production company immediately removed her from the list of lead actors. Since the role was involved throughout the film, simple deletion was not feasible, and the film, which was originally scheduled to be released in 2025, faced the double crisis of delay and reshoots.