Wilson Yip
Donnie Yen, who played the Wing Chun grandmaster Ip Man in two films, initially expressed no interest in appearing in a third film, feeling that, "Because "Ip Man 2" will incontrovertibly become a classic, bettering the first. I believe it's best to end something when it's at perfection, and leave behind a good memory." Before the release of "Ip Man 2", he stated he would no longer be involved in a film based on Ip Man's life due to the proliferation of Ip Man films produced by different studios following the success of the first "Ip Man" film. While both Yen and Raymond Wong were not initially keen on making a third "Ip Man" film, director Wilson Yip had expressed interest in making one that would focus on the relationship between Ip Man and Bruce Lee. While "Ip Man 2" very briefly shows Lee as a child, Wilson Yip hoped to find a suitable actor to portray Lee as an adult for the third instalment. In March 2014, "Variety" announced that "Ip Man 3" would be shot in early 2015, and would be released in 3D during Chinese New Year that year, with Wilson Yip, Yen, and Wong reprising their duties. In December 2015, regarding the decision to make "Ip Man 3" five years after "Ip Man 2", Wong said there were numerous unrelated Ip Man films being made such as ', ' and "The Grandmaster", so they wanted to wait till all that ended.