Jet Li To Become A Monk For New Movie

Martial arts star Jet Li is set to ditch his usual high-action antics to play a Buddhist monk.

The Romeo Must Die star admits he's ready to try something totally different for his next project, and has used the culture clash of religion and big city life as the basis.

He says, "The two cultures are crossed. One is how much you can get, the other is how much you gave give - a very interesting story.

"I will play the monk. I've spent a lot of time studying Buddhism. I was in India for two weeks at the end of last year and two weeks in Tibet. And I visited a temple in New York and meditated in silence there for 10 days. I said nothing.

"After you make more than 30 action films, you want to make a different kind of film. I want to make some new ways to look at martial arts."

Li is hoping to start filming his project next year.