Van Damme turned down new 'Fighter'?

Jean-Claude Van Damme has claimed that he turned down the chance to appear in the new Street Fighter movie.

Doom director Andrzej Batkowiak is currently working on a big-screen adaptation of the popular computer game series, but Van Damme, who played lead character Guile in the 1994 version, will not appear in the film.

Speaking to MTV Movies, Van Damme said: "In fact they called me for that movie, to do the sequel. I would have been well paid but I didn't want to do it.

"I've made enough money. I don't want to make a movie and then come home and be unhappy about it. Life is short. I'm 47 years old.

"I've got ten years to go where I can be the best I can be. I want those ten years to be precious, not like before, cranking two or three movies a year.

"I just want to do something I'm proud of. It's time for me to change. I could sign with a company for ten movies and I'm the king of video and so what?"

Van Damme also claimed that he turned down the chance to work with Brett Ratner on Rush Hour 3.

He said: "Yeah, I was approached. But if I do an action movie today I cannot walk through the streets and do karate moves.

"I would not believe it anymore. It's hard for me to say that. I cannot go and do three somersaults. I would feel like a monkey. So Rush Hour, even though I would have been well paid, would have been difficult for me to accept."