Hong Kong-based Edko Films and Irresistible Films have unveiled two new productions for release in 2012 – crime thriller Nightfall, starring Nick Cheung and Simon Yam, and police action film Cold War.

Nightfall, which has just wrapped, is directed by Roy Chow from an original screenplay by Chow and Christine To. The story follows an ex-convict and a hardened detective who face off in an investigation about a brutal murder.

The $7m film is produced by Bill Kong and Irresistible Films’ Ivy Ho. Chow previously directed Murderer, starring Aaron Kwok, which was one of the highest-grossing local productions at the Hong Kong box office in 2009.

Cold War, which starts shooting in mid-October, begins with a hostage situation where the Hong Kong police realise they’re dealing with a much more dangerous opponent than they originally thought. The film, to be directed by Longman Leung and Sunny Luk, has a budget of around $9m and will also feature an all-star cast, which has yet to be announced. Bill Kong, Ivy Ho and Matthew Tang are producing.

“We immediately jumped on board these projects for the intelligence and the excitement of the story-telling,” said Kong. “The scripts are some of the strongest we’ve seen in years. Even though the plots are very different, the chase and action aspects of both films are sure to leave audiences breathless. We want to bring the focus back to Hong Kong cinema and to the quintessential elements that people love most.”

Edko is Kong’s production and distribution outfit, while Irresistible, backed by Kong and Japan’s Avex Entertainment, aims to develop and produce Asian features from new directing talent.