Film News

-- Forbidden Kingdom --

Between Jackie Chan and Jet Li, who is the better fighter? "Definitely Brother Jackie Chan is better," Jet Li told the media. "My acting fee for The Forbidden Kingdom is just one-tenth of his." But Jackie Chan's answer, in a post on his blog, was Jet Li. The two gongfu kings have been in China since last month making their first movie together, the Hollywood production The Forbidden Kingdom. Yesterday, they held court at a press conference in Hengdian, eastern China.

Both Jackie Chan, 53, and Jet Li, 44, said their on-screen duels were the most enjoyable ones they had shot in more than a decade, reported Sina. Jackie Chan said, "Just one fight scene would take 12 days to shoot. Before a shoot, we would say to each other, let's be slower, slower. Once the fighting started, we couldn't control ourselves, we would fight faster and faster." Their duels went by in such a quick blur, the playback had to be set a a lower speed so the moves could be seen, said Jet Li. Even Yuen Wo Ping said that they were too fast.

Jackie Chan, a Peking opera student-turned-stuntman-turned-actor, also said on his blog that with martial arts champion Jet Li, he felt the rush he used to have fighting with actors Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao, who were trained in the same Peking opera school.

The Forbidden Kingdom is about an American teenager's journey to ancient mythical China. Chinese actresses Liu Yifei and Li Bingbing co-star in it. Yesterday, drector Rob Minkoff declined to confirm talk that the movie is the first of a trilogy. Li Bingbing gave the game away, however. Asked about her character, she said: "Can't tell too much. We have to shoot a sequel."   Straits Times

Plot:

An American kid Jason (Michael Angarano) who accidentally acquires the golden cudgel travels through time to ancient China. There, he learns of a prophecy: Someone from the West would return the golden cudgel to the owner and release the Monkey God Sun Wu Kong, who has been imprisoned for 500 years by Jade Warlord (Ngai Sing) who is under Jade Emperor. Along the way, Jason meets three persons who travel with and protect him: Lu Yan (Jackie Chan), a master of Drunken Fist, Golden Sparrow (Liu Yifei), who is ever ready for vengeance, and Silent Monk (Jet Li), who is reticent, mysterious yet powerful. They are being hunted by assassins led by White Hair Demoness (Li Bing Bing), who is sent by Jade War Lord.  Sina