Tong to direct Chan in his 100th film

BEIJING, Jan. 21 (UPI) -- Hong Kong film star Jackie Chan says his 100th movie project will reunite him with his "Rumble in the Bronx" director Stanley Tong.

Xinhua said the high-octane action flick is called "Shi Er Sheng Xiao," which translates as "The 12 Chinese Zodiac Animals." It reportedly is about a Chinese hero who recovers the bronze head statues of the 12 Chinese zodiac animals stolen by the French and British armies from the imperial Summer Palace in Beijing more than a century ago.

"I think I won't fight so fiercely as this in the future," the 56-year-old kung fu star told reporters in Beijing Wednesday about the intense martial arts scenes throughout the picture.

"We wanted to make this film as early as six years ago," Chan added. "Last year, the news about the statues' auction struck us and we finally started on (the film.)"

Chan can currently be seen in the Hollywood action comedy "The Spy Next Door."