Johnnie To Talks ELECTION 3, Retirement and Five Films He Has Put The Most Effort Into Making

Master director Johnnie To, the man behind such classics as Election, Running Out Of Time, A Hero Never Dies and Throw Down, has been in Cannes promoting his latest film, Blind Detective. Three pieces of news have come out of his recent media interviews, and each has resulted in a different reaction in me. One has me excited, another surprised and the third leaves me a little sad. Here are the news:

1. To is planning to film Election 3 in 2015, which will mark the 10th anniversary of the release of the original Election. This is exciting news because Election and its sequel are both great films. And I am hoping that all of the survivors of the two triad elections in Election and Election 2 will come back for a reunion. Expect more bloodshed and brutal deaths.

2. To has also disclosed that there are only five films that he has really put in a lot of effort into making, and they are The Mission, Exiled, Life Without Principle, Sparrow and PTU. While these are all fine films, I find it surprising that he has not included some of his other great films such as Running On Karma and Mad Detective (both made with his long-time collaborator Wai Ka Fai) in the list.  

3. Finally, To told media he is hoping to retire at 65. While I really don't want to see him retiring, the fact that he is now 58 means there is still plenty of time for him to make many more great films. I do hope that he will reach even greater heights in his career within the next 7 years, so much so that he decides to continue directing films for a little longer!