By Mark Pollard | Published July 30, 2009

Action superstar Jackie Chan has turned up in a new ad for Kaspersky Internet Security 2010, alongside the software’s creator Eugene Kaspersky. In the ad, Kaspersky hands the martial arts star a helmet bearing the software name as Chan hops on his Seyway and rolls into the dangerous Cyberworld to beat up attacking viruses.

The ad is interesting for a number of reasons. Chan is speaking Mandarin but he’s not a native Mandarin speaker. Raised in Hong Kong, his first language is Cantonese. This confirms news that the ad, which is subtitled in Chinese and English, is being primarily targeted at mainland China.

If you’re wondering why Chan is riding a Segway it’s because he has a stake in the two-wheeled scooter and probably made its appearance a stipulation in his contract. He’s a partner in a company that sells them in Hong Kong and China.

Why Chan, or rather Chan’s stunt double, is fighting CGI internet viruses is less clear. It’s as if the DRUNKEN MASTER star decided to star in an Orkin Pest Control commercial by donning a hat with “Orkin” on it and kicking bugs around. There is obviously big money involved because Chan is, as always, a busy man.

When not staging a repeat of his performance in THE TUXEDO for Kaspersky or trying to convince people to drop $10,000 for a novelty item with the potential to turn the vision of a lazy, motor-assisted society in WALL•E into reality, Chan is acting in scenes for Will Smith’s KUNG FU KID, promoting his “New Seven Little Fortunes,” giving motivational/patriotic speeches, and donating movie props for an exhibition in the Jackie Chan Film Art Museum that’s opening in Shanghai in October. Chan also has a new Chinese-language movie coming out later this year, the period action/comedy LITTLE BIG SOLDIER.

Not all is rosy for Chan when it comes to his business ventures. Chinese media recently reported that Chan has become involved in a scandal involving alleged illegal recruitment at the Northern Automotive Repairing School. Chan appeared in an ad for the school but a spokesman for the star in Beijing said that he was unclear about the exact nature of the allegations.

I’m trying to figure out why Chan is so ad happy these days. He doesn’t need the money or the exposure and the products he is promoting are not exactly a great fit for a martial arts star. I will say (without getting paid) that Kaspersky Internet Security is my preferred choice for anti-virus and internet security software and I would recommend it over Norton but I would never buy it based solely on the endorsement of Jackie Chan.

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