KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 7 — Aaron Aziz has long been regarded as one of the most recognisable figures in Malaysian cinema, with a career spanning decades across film and television.

Known for embracing change, the actor has increasingly taken part in international co-productions, most recently appearing as Dali in Banduan, a collaboration between India’s Dream Warrior Pictures and Malaysia’s Number Twenty One Media, together with Astro Shaw.

With the upcoming action film Black Ops, slated for release at the end of 2026, Aaron once again finds himself at the intersection of local and international filmmaking.

The project brings together Malaysian production houses Skop Productions, Komet Studios, Golden Screen Cinemas, and Astro Shaw, alongside Hong Kong’s One Cool Films.

“Collaboration has always been something I have supported from the very beginning,” Aaron told Malay Mail.

“In the past, everything was done in-house, mainly due to financial concerns, as producers were hesitant to spend more by employing talent from overseas,” he said.

“However, thankfully, as this pattern has continued, people can now see the results,” he added, noting that international collaboration was once rare in Malaysia but has since become more common.

Aaron said funders and producers are now more confident in investing and are increasingly open to bringing in fresh ideas.

“This includes not only fight choreography, but also explosions, graphics, and CGI,” he said.

“I truly value the sharing of ideas and believe strongly in teamwork,” he added.

Drawing from his experience working with production houses in Thailand, Hong Kong and India, Aaron said Malaysia’s film industry remains smaller in scale.

He noted that action films, in particular, often rely on the same limited pool of action directors.

According to him, importing ideas from abroad helps films stand out and feel distinct.

He added that when directors, scriptwriters and producers are able to work cohesively, the result can go beyond individual performances.

His role and expectations for Black Ops

In Black Ops, Aaron plays Commander Khabir, a character he described at a press conference yesterday at Wisma Ekran as a neutral leader torn between legal duty and protecting his soldiers.

On expectations for the film, he said: “Of course, we all hope that this film will become a phenomenon and continue to elevate local Malaysian films.”

Citing Banduan’s overseas screenings in the US, Canada and France, with Cambodia next, Aaron said the producers had successfully brought the film beyond Malaysia.

He expressed hope that Black Ops would follow a similar path.

“It will further raise the profile of our local film industry and open more doors for Malaysian cinema on the international stage,” he said.