In the Pipeline

-- The Forbidden Kingdom --

Jackie Chan and Jet Li's first movie together, The Forbidden Kingdom, will start shooting on May 2 in movie studios in Hengdian, located southwest of Shanghai, and neighbouring locations, the movie's producer Casey Silver said in a phone interview with The Associated Press. The project has drawn attention because it pairs the world's top two kung fu stars. The idea for the film originates with the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West, in which a monkey king helps guard a Buddhist monk who searches for religious texts. The movie's US distributor, Lionsgate, said in a news release The Forbidden Kingdom is set in ancient China and follows an American teenager's attempt to help rescue the monkey king from captors. The teenager, a fan of kung fu movies, embarks on time travel after discovering the monkey king's stick weapon in a Chinatown pawn shop.

Famed kung fu choreographer Yuen Woo-ping, who has recently been honoured with Best Action Choreography award at 26th HK Film Awards for his work in Fearless, will design the action sequences in Forbidden Kingdom, and Rob Minkoff (Stuart Little, The Lion King) will direct the movie. Cinematographer Peter Pau, who won an Oscar for his work on Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, will shoot the movie. The film could offer a sharp contrast of fighting styles. Jackie Chan is known for his improvisational, defensive moves while Jet Li tends to dominate his on-screen opponents. Jet Li said in a recent blog entry that he has tried on costumes for The Forbidden Kingdom. He complained about the process of getting a mask made for his character. "When you have a lot of stuff on your head, you can hardly see and hardly breathe. I feel a loss of self control. Once your air paths are blocked, its a very uncomfortable feeling," Jet Li said.  National Nine News