MC Jin Joins Stephen Chow In “Kung Fu Soccer” English Version

MC Jin joined the English voice cast of Stephen Chow’s “Kung Fu Soccer,” which will open in U.S. theaters October 23.

The new English version also featured voice performances from Chow and comedian Jimmy O. Yang. Distributor Encore Films announced that audiences in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Ireland would get both the original-language film and the English dub.

Jin also joined the live-action ensemble alongside Yang. Zhang Xiaofei, Dilraba Dilmurat and Lay Zhang led the cast.

The film earned about $344.4 million during China’s June-through-August summer season, making it the country’s biggest movie of that period. The movie marked Chow’s first feature as a director since 2019’s “The New King of Comedy.”

The Western opening will arrive 25 years after “Shaolin Soccer,” the 2001 film in which Chow’s character Sing recruited his Shaolin brothers to form a soccer team.

“Stephen Chow’s films have always transcended language and cultural boundaries, bringing audiences together through his unique blend of action, comedy and heart,” Encore managing director Joyce Lee said.

“Kung Fu Soccer” put a women’s team at the center of that formula. The Emei Women’s Football Team rallied around captain Shuangshuang and striker Yulong, with mentor Xu Feng guiding the squad as it chased a championship. The players mixed soccer with martial arts as they competed in the Supreme Invincible Cup, facing doubts about their chances and setbacks that tested their teamwork.

The project also extended Jin’s connection with Chow. In December 2023, Jin released “Nobody” at the filmmaker’s invitation.

The song accompanied plans for Chow’s NFT collection of the same name, and its video drew on characters from his movies while featuring Chow’s voice. Their work together predated this film’s overseas release by nearly three years.

Jin’s seven-week winning run on BET’s “Freestyle Friday” led to his Ruff Ryders deal. He later recorded in both English and Chinese, building a career across those audiences.

Encore acquired distribution rights for the film outside mainland China in June. Cineplex listed the Mandarin version, with Chinese and English subtitles, for October 23. Encore also completed a Cantonese dub, with that version’s voice cast still to be announced.

The rapper also has a label with NE-YO, Pacific Music Group, which recently launched in Tokyo with the signing of Japanese rapper JP THE WAVY.