KUALA LUMPUR (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - New Netflix series Marco Polo has been hit by tragedy even before it starts filming in Malaysia.

The project's co-fight choreographer Ju Kun, a veteran Hollywood stuntman, was a passenger on the lost Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370.

Veteran Hollywood stuntman Ju Kun, who has doubled for Beijing-born gongfu star Jet Li in movies like The Expendables, The Forbidden Kingdom and Fearless, has been confirmed as one of the 239 passengers on board the missing flight MH370.

The 35-year-old was on his way back to Beijing to visit his five-year-old and one-year-old sons, and to collect work materials for his current project, Marco Polo, a Netflix series (in collaboration with The Weinstein Company) that will be filmed in Malaysia next month at the Pinewood Studios in Johor Baru.

Marco Polo stunt coordinator and fight choreographer, Brett Chan, told The Star Online in an exclusive email interview that Mr Ju had been living in Malaysia since February after he was hired as the co-fight choreographer on the series.

"It was an unfortunate circumstance that this happened," said Mr Chan, who had worked with Mr Ju on numerous other films and praised his professionalism.

"In 19 years of being in the business, I have not come across someone so excellent and diverse and adaptive in his craft. His martial art is comparable to none, his creativity is spectacular. I can go on about his skill and his eye for detail, but given his resume and history, it speaks for itself," said Mr Chan.

"He is dependable, trustworthy and a great friend. He raises the bar in every aspect - in martial arts and as a person. He keeps good people around him and good people are drawn to him for his incomparable work ethic. There is no one more I would have by my side in any aspect of my life."