Jackie Chan in a new role

The upcoming film The Foreigner, featuring Chinese action star Jackie Chan and Irish actor Pierce Brosnan, is a revenge story about Quan (played by Chan), a Chinese restaurant owner in London and a former member of the special forces, whose daughter is killed in a bomb blast. [Photo provided to China Daily]

The 63-year-old Hong Kong action star, known for his martial arts skills, shows a different side. Wang Kaihao reports.

After a long break, Jackie Chan has worked in a Hollywood production. However, this time he avoids the typical "Jackie Chan style", which blends comedy, action and martial arts.

Chan has a serious role in the upcoming thriller The Foreigner, which is co-produced by Los Angeles-based STX Entertainment, Beijing-based Sparkle Roll Media and Wanda Cinemas.

"I look really old and I was asked to hobble in the film," said the 63-year-old Hong Kong action star, known for his martial arts skills, at a recent promotion event of the film in Beijing.

"On the set, I sat for hours just to look sullen," he says.

In the film, he plays Quan, a low-profile Chinese restaurant owner in London whose teenage daughter is killed in a bomb blast.

Quan, a former member of the special forces and a Vietnam War veteran, then seeks revenge.

The Foreigner is to hit Chinese cinemas on Sept 30, and will be screened in North America from Oct 13.

It will also be the first Chan film to be released in the United States after he was bestowed an honorary Oscar for lifetime achievement earlier this year.