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-- City Under Siege --

Here are some official stills from City Under Siege, courtesy of Sina.

 

In this sci-fi film by Benny Chan, a circus troupe, led by Ngai Sing, goes on a crime spree after inhaling some toxic gases by accident, causing mutation and granting them superhuman powers. However, one of them, Aaron Kwok, would not connive with the rest. Instead, he is to eventually team up with special agent Wu Jing and cop Zhang Jingchu, who push him to the peaks of his potent potential paranormal powers, to melee the malefactor mutants and save the subdued city.

 

-- Return of Chen Zhen --
Donnie Yen writes on his blog on Sina saying that it's no mean task achieving a breakthrough in the choreography in Legend of the Fist: Return of Chen Zhen, considering how many such productions were made. There wasn't a moment when his mind wasn't filled with thoughts on plotting out the action scenes and the moves, and he even suffered from insomnia during the shoot as a result.

Nunchaku, flying kick at the Japanese dojo are obligatory, and taking a bold move, he combines Jeet Kune Do with MMA, before infusing them into creative, yet practical combat elements, and hopes to pay tribute to Bruce Lee through this. There is no task that cannot be accomplished, as long as one has the determination and willpower. And he gained a major inspiration prior, during and after the shoot.

After slimming down in Ip Man, he had to gain back his weight in a short time, as well as toning his muscles for the Chen Zhen. To keep himself in tip-top condition, he would get up an hour earlier to do push up. Can a 46 years old be as fit as a 31 years old? Yes, Donnie Yen is glad to say that, he did it.

 

In terms of acting, Donnie Yen has to completely put down Ip Man's humble, scholarly, gentlemanly grandmaster, to play a complex character with multiple identities - a roguish, unrestrained nightclub boss by night day, a righteous Black Mask by night, while in reality, he is a hot-blooded revolutionary.

-- Wind Blast  --
While 《西风烈》 Wind Blast (Tempest of the Westerly Winds), which takes over 150 days to shoot, is tentatively scheduled for release in early September, director Gao Qun Shu, who has already begun post-production, says that there is still a set of aerial shots left, requiring coordination from the local army.

 

This is what he describes the four detectives: "Each of them have their own strengths, Wu Jing is the king of flying car, he could race on the most treacherous mountainous paths; Zhang Li is a Hercules, he has to consume 20 packs of instant noodles per meal; Ni Da Hong is a crack shot, who never misses his mark; Duan Yi Hong is a very brilliant strategist and commander, you may say that this film is about the duels of the masters."

  

In this Chinese Western actioner, four proficient detectives, Duan Yi Hong, Ni Da Hong, Wu Jing, Zhang Li, who are tracking a murder suspect Xia Yu, accompanied by his girlfriend Charlie Yeung Choi Nei, to a desert, land themselves in a far more critical and perilous situation than they could ever picture when they also have to face two top drawer professional assassins, Francis Ng and Yu Nan, who possess far deadly firearms and skills than them.

 

Trailer: Sina / Youku

 Why did you opted for the era of warlords?
 Benny Chan: The story concerning thirteen cudgel monks rescuing Tang prince has been adapted too many times. So, I checked with the abbot, the notable legends of Shaolin Temple in the past 1500 years, there was this legend, concerning a warlord ransacking Shaolin Temple to look for another warlord, before setting it ablaze. Being partial to this legend, I settled for the warlords era. That period was very turbulent, China was already facing foreign invasion, yet the Chinese were still fighting among themselves. Continue reading "Benny Chan Interview on Shaolin: Advocating The Spirit of Martial Arts"

-- The Monkey King --
With the box office success of Donnie Yen's films in the past 2 years, such as the most recent Ip Man 2 which has just passed the 200m yuan mark in China, not only Donnie Yen, who is currently filming The Lost Bladesman (Guan Yun Chang) and just finished a fight scene with Andy On, is highly sought after by filmmakers and investors alike, but he's also getting a big, fat pay cheque.

Filmko CEO Alex Wong announces that Donnie Yen would be playing the eponymous character Sun Wu Kong in The Monkey King, budgeted at 300m yuan and shot in 3D IMAX. Alex Wong, who would not reveal the actual pay Donnie Yen is getting, says, "Donnie Yen is certainly worthy of the salary of 20m yuan that he commands, he is such a huge box office draw."

This has been confirmed by Donnie Yen's manager, "The role of the Monkey King is a big challenge to Donnie Yen, and something worth trying out, and Donnie Yen is very confident in handling the role well."

Presently only Monkey King Sun Wu Kong is confirmed. 12 other main characters remain to be filled up, including Bull Demon King, Princess Iron Fan, Jade Emperor, Ancient Ancestor Bodhi, Erlang Shen, Nezha, etc. Apparently, Chow Yun Fatt and Louis Koo would also be onboard.

Building the fantasy sets is a costly affair, with around 50m yuan being allocated. The Water Curtain Cave and Mountain of Fruits & Flowers will be shot on location in Zhang Jia Jie, Hunan. Production begins in November, with a proposed release in Feb 2012. Following that, Donnie Yen would be teaming up with Tony Jaa in a co-production with Thailand in 2011.  Sina, HK Headline

-- Return of Chen Zhen --

A poster and a few new stills from Legend of the Fist: Return of Chen Zhen, produced by Gordon Chan, directed by Andrew Lau, have been unveiled recently at Cannes Film Festival. Apart from the main cast, Donnie Yen, Anthony Wong, Huang Bo, Shu Qi, Huo Si Yan, Kohata Ryu, Zhou Yang, there also appearances by Yusuaki Kurata, Shawn Yue, Akira and Ma Su.

 

-- Legend of Shaolin Kungfu 3 --

As the ultimate villain in Legend of Shaolin Kungfu 3: Heroes of the Great Desert, Sammo Hung is playing general Wan Shou Shan from the fallen Ming Dynasty who spends his entire life going against the Manchu empire. Sun Hui Ning describes that while their collaboration was rather short, everyone was able to feel the prowess of Sammo Hung, imparting such domineering presence worthy of a general of Xilu Society, he is indeed an actor with real strength.

 

Wan Shou Shan is extremely cunning, scheming, devious and ruthless, and would stop at nothing to achieve his goals, even at the expense of the lives of his children. He wields great military powers, and is responsible for the death of the Ming prince, thus becoming the only remnant Ming loyalist in power to reclaim the throne.

 

Time and again, he sends assassins after the present ruler Emperor Kangxi. Emperor Kangxi, who wishes for peace and prosperity of the nation, doesn't wish to take up arms, and intends to grant amnesty and recruit him instead, but Wan Shou Shan would rather perish than yield to the court, and the uprising continues...  Sohu

-- Legend of Blademaster --

Production on kungfu comedy 《刀客外传》 Legend of Blademaster (tentative), directed by Yuan Hong Bing, starring Shi Xiao Long, He Jie and Law Kar Ying, Leung Kar Yan, Gao Jun, has just begun in Yinchuan, Ningxia. Shi Xiao Long (who is more commonly known as Ashton Chen these days) is taking on the leading role as a braggart blademaster with lame skills, but boasts of his top-notch martial arts skills and even call himself Beggar Su. Legend of Blademaster is slated for release this October.

Shi Xiao Long says the he's having some pressure playing a blademaster, "In the past, the pugilists I play either fight with swords or barehanded, this is the first time I'm using a sabre, it's quite a challenge. When wielding a sword, I would be after the more sublime feel. As for broadsword, the movements would be broader, just like the open desert. And I'm also taking the opportunity to slim down under such hot weather and harsh conditions here."

In the film Legend of Blademaster, a village is often troubled by a group of bandits on horseback, and the villagers send the teacher Fan Jian (Law Kar Ying) to the city to hire swordsmen to protect the village, but unfortunately, due to insufficient funds, he gets snubbed everywhere, failing to hire any professional swordsman. By chance, he runs into a braggart Beggar Su (Shi Xiao Long), who somehow becomes Fan Jian's lifeline by a twist of fate. Beside the braggart are two other unreliable blademasters who are hired as well...

 

More images on Sohu