HONG KONG - EDISON Chen's new movie will debut next month, the Chinese-Canadian star's first since his sex photo scandal last year forced him to take a break.

The action thriller 'The Sniper' will have its world premiere at the Hong Kong International Film Festival on March 24, according to the Hong Kong event's program released on Thursday.

The photos released on the Internet showing Chen and several Hong Kong stars performing sexual acts dominated headlines for weeks early last year, prompting him to make a public apology in February 2008 and take a break from the industry.

'The Sniper', in which Chen plays a young police sniper, finished shooting in 2007 and was originally scheduled to be released in March 2008, but was put on hold after Chen's scandal broke.

Another of Chen's Chinese-language movies, the romance 'Jump', was also shelved.

Chen resurfaced in Vancouver, Canada on Monday to testify against the computer technician who allegedly stole the photos from his laptop.

The actor also had a brief cameo in the Hollywood blockbuster 'The Dark Knight', which was released in July. -- AP