Is age really catching up to martial arts superstar Donnie Yen? Netizens seem to think so.

Last month, the 59-year-old was ridiculed for not being able to carry his 36kg co-star, Chinese actress Chen Yuqi, while shooting upcoming wuxia film, Sakra, an adaptation of Louis Cha’s novel, Tian Long Ba Bu.

Now they think the actor, dubbed the “strongest in the universe”, is too old to do his own stunts after he was revealed to have used a body double in the movie.

Recently, behind-the-scenes pics made the rounds online and netizens were surprised to see a man dressed in a grey robe exactly like Donnie, who stars as Qiao Feng, the leader of the beggar sect.

They could not believe that the actor, who is famous for doing his own stunts, would use a body double and questioned if he is getting old and can no longer cut it.

However, some fans argued that a star of his stature does not have to take on all the stunts himself and that it “has nothing to do with age".

“All Hollywood stars use body doubles too,” wrote one netizen, while another said: “If Donnie is injured, the entire team stops working.”

Besides starring in the movie, Donnie is also its executive producer.

The big-budget action film, which cost 200 million yuan (S$39.4mil) to produce, will reportedly focus on the story between Qiao Feng, Ah Chu and Ah Zi, played by Chinese actresses Chen Yuqi and Cya Liu respectively.

Helmed by Hong Kong directors Wong Jing and Steve Chang, Sakra is slated for release during Chinese New Year next year.

Photos: Donnie Yen/Weibo