Among those martial arts stars/directors in the entertainment industry that are from Guangxi, perhaps the most famous is Xiong Xin Xin. Yet, few know of 谭俏 Tan Qiao, who also hails from Guangxi - or more specifically, Guilin. While the name Tan Qiao may not ring a bell to most people, he ranks alongside the foremost kickers and martial arts choreographers ever to grace the silverscreen. Ip Man 2's release has been brought forward to April 29, 2010. While there were sayings that it was to avoid the World Cup fever that might affect box office, it has been denied by the production.
On the other hand, release date for The Legend is Born: Ip Man is being pushed back to end of June. Yip Chun says, "No matter how well-received Ip Man was, there were areas that could have been better. For example, the film was obviously set in Foshan, yet it was not shot on location on the actual place. Neither was the mansion like the original. Hence, we have The Legend is Born: Ip Man shot in Foshan, showing Foshan as it is meant to be."
With a recent flood of Ip Man films on the market, Donnie Yen, who gives himself 120 marks for his performance in Ip Man 2 compared 90 marks for the first, has made up his mind, "After Ip Man 2, I would never ever touch any films related to Ip Man. This will be my final film on the subject. Whenever something becomes a success, everyone would jump on the bandwagon, this is very frightening. Did you know how many Ip Man films are in production? Under such condition, we would not progress, it'd only lead to over-saturation of the subject matter." Guangzhou Daily, Sina
Below is Ip Man 2 shooting diary, which shows a bit of Donnie Yen's duel with Sammo Hung towards the end.
Confucius is coming to Blu-ray and DVD on March 11, 2010.
Set in the chaotic and decadent world of the warring states during the Spring and Autumn Period, the film focuses on the turbulent later years of Confucius's life, specifically from his appointment to political office at 51 to his death at 73, and all the dramatic stories in between.
Confucius was born in the kingdom of Lu and rose to serve in its government. He skillfully engineered a peace with aggressive neighboring states and brought three dominant local clans under control. But his brilliance as a thinker and tactician was not enough to save him from being exiled by his political enemies, and he spent many years wandering and teaching a band of loyal disciples.
Directed by Hu Mei, starring Chow Yun Fatt, Zhou Xun, Lu Yi, Qiao Zhen Yu, Kai Li, Yao Lu, Ma Jing Wu.
Directed by Dennis Law, Bad Blood, starring Simon Tam, Bernice Liu, Andy On, Jiang Lu Xia, Xiong Xin Xin, is about gang members turning against each other following the death of their chief, with Nicky Li bringing you the hard-hitting action.
Bad Blood Blu-ray and DVD are being released on March 4, 2010.
Preorder on YesAsia: Blu-ray | DVD
Over 10 million yuan and around 4 months were spent on building the 1:1 life-size replica of Shaolin Temple in Yanshi, Yongkang. Some structures or props of the new Shaolin Temple were actually built larger for ease of filming or to impart a more numinous feel, such as the towering giant Buddha statue.
From Wu Jing's February 26, 2010 blog entry:
To experience life in Shaolin
To be better immersed in character
With the intention of paying respect to Shaolin
Staying for seven days in Shaolin Temple to practise Zen
Whether it is practising martial arts, meditating, filming, calligraphy
Tea appreciation, discussing Tao, doing business, or falling in love
They are but a voyage of self-discovery, the process of illuminating, perfecting oneself
To boost one's own confidence, calmly facing trials and tribulations in life
Buddha - an enlightened being
Kungfu Hero/Kong Fu Man, directed by Ning Ying and Yuen Cheung Yan, starring Tiger Chen, Jiang Meng Jie, Vanessa Branch, Andre McCoy, Tan Qiao, Lin Shen, etc. has wrapped up filming in late January. On his blog, Tiger Chen expresses his gratitude to all those involved for their hard work. He also reiterates that Kungfu Hero and Tai Chi Tiger are two separate and distinct works, though the latter is often mistaken as the previous incarnation of Kungfu Hero. -- Shaolin --
Here are some early mages of director Benny Chan and action director Corey Yuen, as well as cast members Andy Lau, Wu Jing, Xing Yu and Nicholas Tse rehearsing on the set of Shaolin in Hengdian, courtesy of Netease and Sina.
It appears that both Andy Lau and Nicholas Tse are warlords initially, while Wu Jing is originally a monk. Though this is likely to change drastically as the film progresses, with the former becoming monks while the latter turns into a treacherous warlord. Yu Hai, 68, is playing the Shaolin abbot, Wu Jing's mentor. Jackie Chan would soon be joining the production for his cameo as a Shaolin chef with concealed skills.
-- Just Another Pandora's Box --
Gillian Chung plays Eastern Wu's Sun Shang Xiang in Just Another Pandora's Box. She has 5, 6 scenes, lasting around 10 mintues in all. Her character sneaks into enemy camp to spy on them and saves Ronald Cheng, who transforms into Zhao Yun in his time travel, countless times, and ends up getting married to Ronald Cheng instead of Liu Bei. Pandora's Box opens on March 18, 2010.
Gillian Chung's other film, Fantastic Water Babes, also directed by Jeffrey Lau, is tentatively set for release in June 2010. The film is about Gillian Chung training extra hard under swimming coach Alex Fong Lik Sun to realise her dreams, and developing feelings for him. Sina
《武动青春》 Martial Spirit, Kou Zhan Wen's directorial debut produced by Paco Wong, is opening in China on March 12. A 2nd trailer can be found on Sina.