Cold War 1994

Cold War 1994 (Chinese: 寒戰1994) is a 2026 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, Tse Kwan-ho, Louis Koo, Louise Wong, Fish Liew, Aidan Gillen, and Hugh Bonneville. 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. A third installment in the Cold War franchise entered development before the release of Cold War 2 in 2015, with production originally slated to begin in 2019. The project 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, with principal photography starting in June as a back-to-back production that spanned seven months in Hong Kong and London. The film had its world premiere at the Shenzhen Grand Theater on 26 April 2026, and was theatrically released in Hong Kong on 1 May. It will be followed by the direct sequel Cold War 1995, which is slated to be released in 2027.