In the Pipeline

-- All's Well Ends Exceptionally Well 2011 --

Donnie Yen, who has been wanting to act in a comical role and missed the chance last year due to his tight schedule, might be doing one this year if he could squeeze in a bit of time in between Wu Xia and The Monkey King.

 

Raymond Wong intends to cast Donnie Yen in 《至强喜事2011》 All's Well Ends Exceptionally Well 2011 (tentative), his Lunar New Year comedy for next year. In the film, Donnie Yen would play a makeup artist, who instead of fighting 10 people at one go, could apply makeup on 10 persons at once. Reportedly, all it takes are 10 days, and he gets a 15m yuan pay cheque. Possibly, Carina Lau might play Donnie Yen's girlfriend, Louis Koo would play a cosmetic salesman, while Raymond Wong would be pairing up with Yan Ni.  Information Times

-- Wuxia --

The crew, including director Peter Chan, and cast, Donnie Yen, Takeshi Kaneshiro and Tang Wei, for Wu Xia have been arriving on the set in Tengchong, Yunnan in the past few days to get ready for production of the film, which has been held up due to extreme weather conditions, such as storm that causes mudslide, flood, brought about by climate change, further fuelled by El Nino effects. Director Peter Chan says they are beginning production soon so as not to eat into the schedule of Donnie Yen's next film Monkey King.
 

Peter Chan indicates that Wuxia is an original script which marries action, physics, medical science with special effects to look at martial arts, such as how powerful a blow could be, and how different the impact would be when a fist lands on a martial arts exponent versus on a regular person. While Wu Xia is set in Manchu dynasty, Donnie Yen, who is also serving as the action director, and Takeshi Kaneshiro need not shave their head.

In Wuxia, Donnie Yen, who hides a dark past, lives in a small village. When an unthinkable homicide was committed, Takeshi Kaneshiro comes to investigate, only to discover a more sinister conspiracy, with Donnie Yen being the prime suspect. It's speculated that Tang Wei would play Donnie Yen or Takeshi Kaneshiro's wife.  Chuncheng Evening News, Chongqing Times, MTimes

Ngai Sing (or Collin Chou) says that he admires director Benny Chan for his enterprising spirit, "Director Benny Chan is very bold, he dares experiment something he has never done before, I take my hats off to him for that. I also admire his talents, no matter what subject he's filming, it's as if he's telling the ups and downs of one's life.

Continue reading "Ngai Sing Interview on City Under Siege: A Day in the Life of A Mutant"

In Tsui Hark's latest lavish epic wuxia/mystery choreographed by Sammo Hung, starring Andy Lau, Carina Lau, Tony Leung Kar Fai, Li Bing Bing, etc, Di Renjie, who is in exile, is summoned back to the court to investigate a series of mysterious murders that threatens the coronation of Empress Wu Zetian. Detective Dee and the Mystery of Phantom Flame is competing at Venice Film Festival, held from September 1 to 11, and will be released on Sept 29, 2010.

 

Reportedly, Chen Kuo Fu, the producer and scriptwriter for the film, has already finished the screenplay for Detective Dee 2, and expect another trailer in the near future.

 

Trailer: Youtube

Continue reading "Detective Dee and the Mystery of Phantom Flame Extended Trailer + Poster"

-- Dragon Gate, Flying Shell --
To build a full-fledged 3D team and studio, Tsui Hark spent two years learning from foreign crew, trying to overcome whatever challenges 3D filming may pose. So, Tsui Hark and the 3D crew, comprising top talents from US, that includes Avatar's visual effects supervisor Chuck Comisky, Singapore, Korea and China, are doing trial shoot for 3 months before commencing actual filming of 《龙门飞甲》 Dragon Gate, Flying Shell/Armour (tentative).

Continue reading "Toying with 3D, Tsui Hark Delays Dragon Dyke, Soaring Shell"

-- The Lost Bladesman --
 After three months of filming, The Lost Bladesman, directed by Alan Mak and Felix Chong, starring Donnie Yen, Sun Li, Jiang Wen, Alex Fong Chung Sun, Andy On, Chin Siu Ho, Wang Xue Bing, Shao Bing, etc, has wrapped up on June 30, 2010. Continue reading "Donnie Yen Feeling Pressured to be The Lost Bladesman"

-- 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

-- Handsome Monkey King --
Producer Zhang Ji Zhong, who produces the TV version of Journey to the West, formally announces his plan to adapt the novel into a film trilogy 《美猴王》 Handsome/Pretty Monkey King (tentative) at a press conference on May 11, 2010. The film franchise, shot in IMAX 3D, made with the international audience in mind, will be written entirely in English. It is engaging the services of Hollywood writers, directors, and digital artists. On the other hand, the main cast would still be predominantly Chinese.

Each of the trilogy would have an independent story, and apparently, the first instalment would be on the origins of Monkey King and the troubles he causes in Dragon Palace and Heavenly Palace, the second on Tripitaka taking in the four disciples, and the third on their encounters with demons and spirits. Due to huge budget, with each instalment estimated to cost US$100m, Handsome Monkey King would have numerous investors, including Huayi Brothers.

The first instalment would go into production early next year, and be released the following year. They are currently writing the script, of which the first draft has been completed. Zhang Jizhong says, "We'll begin with the first instalment, so, we'd need US$100m rather than a total sum of US$300m, this will be an international co-production, part of the funds would come from bank loans, another from US, Japan and Korea. Based on current situation, we have no problems securing the funding."  Sina

-- Monkey King: Wreaking Havoc in Heavenly Palace --
Filmko's 3D live action 《大闹天宫》 Monkey King will be shot on IMAX and directed by Cheang Pou Soi, while Jet Li and Donnie Yen are being eyed for the title role Sun Wu Kong. The production is now scouting location for Mountain of Fruits and Flowers, Water Curtain Cave, etc and has finished blueprints for the sets of three fantasy realms Inferno Mountain, Heavenly Palace, Dragon Palace, and will soon be building the sets. The film, written by Edmond Wong, is budgeted at 250m yuan and scheduled for production in October 2010.  Netease

-- New Dragon Inn --
At this year's Hong Kong Filmart, Tsui Hark was seen trying out 3D cameras, putting on 3D lenses to see the effects, and making enquiries about the 3D equipment, going from one booth to another. When asked about his next work, Tsui Hark reveals that he is planning to shoot a 3D version of New Dragon Inn remake. Right now, it's not known for sure if New Dragon Inn 3D would be a retelling of the original film, or some kind of sequel, and no cast is attached. The film begins production no earlier than 2011.  Sohu

 

-- Tai Chi --
Stephen Chow has not done any films since 2008. While he was invited to play Kato in Hollywood film, they soon parted ways due to creative differences. And now, it seems that Stephen Chow is ready to make another venture into Hollywood with 《太极》 Tai Chi (tentative) that he would be directing and starring in. Budgeted at US$60m, the film, co-produced by China Film and an independent US studio, also stars Jack Black and Anne Hathaway. 
 
Based loosely on Bruce Lee's Way of the Dragon, Stephen Chow plays a Chinese immigrant living in Chinatown, US, working as a dishwasher. The area is overrun by triads, who oppress the Chinese, such as collecting protection fees from the restaurant Stephen Chow is working at. Stephen Chow, who is actually a Tai Chi master living in anonymity, is compelled to set things right and teach the triad members a lesson they'll never forget. The Chinese can finally live in peace and they all come to seek tutelage under Stephen Chow, beseeching him to set up a martial arts school and propagate Tai Chi.
 
Reportedly, Stephen Chow has hired a teacher to teach him English as the entire film is in English, and also to facilitate communications with Western actors. However, when asked about the project, Stephen Chow declines comment, "At this stage, I have nothing to say on this."
 
Tai Chi is slated for production in June. While there was some casting news on King of Comedy 2, Stephen Chow may not necessarily be involved directly in the film. Stephen Chow would also be producing Hail the Judge remake later this year.   Information Times 

What makes Green Dragon in 14 Blades different?
Donnie Yen: The character Green Dragon is something I've never tried before, for this person is neither good nor evil. I have done two similar roles before, one was Once Upon a Time in China, but it wasn't fully fleshed out. Initially, I didn't have confidence to bring out something fresh in this character, but director Daniel Lee told me to approach it from a villainous angle, then I started getting a hang of it. Personally, I'm completely different from Green Dragon, so I find this character very novel, for it's the exact opposite of my real life.

Continue reading "Donnie Yen 14 Blades Interview: Looking Forward to Working with Tony Jaa"