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--Yip Man, Painted Skin --

On the set of Yip Man, actor Donnie Yen was seen busying himself, running about, and giving instructions intently, such as completely immersing himself in admonishing a kid, while martial arts director Sammo Hung appeared to be more relaxed, seated comfortably in a chair.  NetEase

A press conference was held on April 29 for Donnie Yen's other film Painted Skin remake, during which contracts were signed with 10 major Chinese cinema operators regarding its distribution in China. The release date was announced as September 28. Donnie Yen says that he has never approached a role from the perspective of love, and it's a breakthrough for him in terms of acting. He says that while Painted Skin doesn't contain much action, the characters are very fresh. Video: Sina

What are your five favorite martial arts films of all time, and why?
Donnie Yen: (I like) Enter The Dragon and Fist Of Fury, because they star my all-time idol, Bruce Lee. Prodigal Son,, starring Yuen Biao, directed by Sammo Hung. In terms of Wing Chun kung fu on camera: Sammo set the bar with that one. And we're trying to raise it (the bar) again with our new film, 'Yip Man'.

(I like) Drunken Master, with Jackie Chan, directed by my Sifu, Yuen Woo-ping. That created a whole new style of kung fu comedy. Heroes Of The East, by Lau Kar-leung. This is a classic Shaw Brothers film about a kung fu master who marries a Japanese woman, and finds he has to fight her relatives, all of whom know different Japanese arts. (It's a) Great concept, and someone should remake it. (It's not technically a kung fu movie, but I loved the last Rocky film, Rocky Balboa! Very touching, and the last fight was amazing.)

You must get along with Wilson Yip. Flash Point is one of many collaboration with him and you have more collaborations ('Yip Man') in the works.
Donnie Yen: I have a great time working with Wilson. We did SPL (Killzone), Dragon Tiger Gate, Flashpoint and now we're shooting Yip Man. (As I mentioned above, Painted Skin was directed by Gordon Chan). Wilson's very quiet, very focused. When we work together, he really helps me keep on track in terms of the story and character development. We make a great team, and I hope to work with him again!

Tell us more about your latest project, 'Yip Man'!
Donnie Yen: We're shooting 'Yip Man' now, in Shanghai. Sammo Hung is the action director. I've wanted to do this film for years. I've been training in Wing Chun kung fu, and especially working on the wooden dummy, so I can do justice to this story and this character. We have the full support of Yip Man's family, which is great. Having just done Flash Point, it's great to do a completely different style of action for this film.

-- 'Yip Man' --

Before he could finish work at his charity school that provides free education and lodging for talented teens with financial difficulties, Li Qi Long received call sheet from the production of 'Yip Man', directed by Wilson Yip. So, he arrived on the set of 'Yip Man' in Shanghai on Feb 17 morning. After having finished his makeup in the afternoon, Li Qi Long met Donnie Yen on the set. They previously collaborated on Painted Skin over a month ago.

After briefly greeting Donnie Yen, he proceeded for training with Sammo Hung. The Martial arts choreographer Sammo Hung asked the Shaolin disciple Li Qilong to display his skills, so that he could choreograph the martial arts sequences accordingly. Li Qi Long hopes that he would have outstanding performances in the film.  Li Qilong's Blog

 Cast update: Zhang Yan Bin, who's the casting agent for 'Yip Man', lists Fan Siu Wong and Xing Yu as part of the production too, playing Jin Shan Zhao and Martial Fanatic Lin respectively, while Li Qi Long takes on the role of Green Dragon and HK Changquan champion 杜宇航 To Yu Hang, 27, plays Hu Wei.

-- Painted Skin --

After 2 1/2 months of filming, Painted Skin has wrapped up production on February 3. Post-production will start with making a rough edit before dubbing is done, while special effects will take 4 months to create. The scenes involving Zhao Wei, Zhou Xun and Chen Kun are primarily drama while those involving Donnie Yen, Sun Li, and Qi Yi Wu, who's playing a villainous reptile spirit, contain a fair bit of action.

As an award-winning action director, Donnie Yen, being fully aware that having come thus far in martial arts choreography, it'll be very hard to make further breakthrough within a short period, hopes to portray a character that is different, to develop himself as an actor. However, he has not been given much chance in this area. Thus, Donnie Yen is very grateful to director Gordon Chan for giving him such an opportunity, frequently communicating with him, digging out his potential in acting. Donnie Yen also has a wonderful time working with his costars, saying that he has learned many things from them. He's full of praise for Zhou Xun's acting and has forged a close bond with Chen Kun.  Sina

Painted Skin is based on a story by Pu Song-ling. The tales of supernatural horrors collected in his Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio have inspired numerous film adaptations, including the classic A Chinese Ghost Story (and its sequels), Li Han-hsiang’s Enchanting Shadow and King Hu’s Cannes award-winning A Touch Of Zen. Painted Skin (Hua Pi) was previously filmed by Fong Pao (in 1966) and again, in 1993, as the final film of King Hu. The current version is a Hong Kong-Chinese co-production, and its to the credit of director Gordon Chan’s script that the project was approved by the state censors, who tend to frown on stories focusing on ‘superstitious’ elements.  Bey Logan Blog >>More<<

After making brief appearances in Seven Swords, Fox Volant of Snowy Mountain, Legend of Shaolin Kungfu, Angela Chen Jia Jia lands a leading role in upcoming 31 episodes kungfu TV series 《董海川传奇》 Legend of Dong Hai Chuan, which is based on real-life events of Bagua Zhang (Eight Trigram Palm) founder Dong Hai Chuan from late Manchurian Dynasty. She will be playing the romantic interest of Dong Hai Chuan. Li Qi Long (aka Shi De Qiang, Tom Lee) will play the title role as young Dong Hai Chuan, while the fifth generation disciple of Eight Trigram Palm Wu Guang Yu will play middle-aged Dong Hai Chuan. Famous Bagua Zhang exponents Mou Jun Dong, Li Yun Long have also been invited to assist in coaching of Bagua Zhang.

-- Painted Skin --

Painted Skin is wrapping up on Feb 2 or so and the production is currently spending two weeks to shoot the finale. Sun Li's role, as well as more of the plot, has been revealed. She comes from a family of exorcists and it's her onus to get rid of the fox vixen Zhou Xun. However, she's a bumbling neophyte with mediocre skills and nobody believes a word when she says that there is a fox spirit for she lacks concrete evidence, even though she has a demon detector. Sun Li also provides comic relief. While she carries an arsenal of talismans and magical devices with her all the time, finding the right item at the right time to deal with demons is a challenge.

-- Painted Skin / Skin Lover --

A little bit on the plot of Painted Skin has been revealed concerning the complicated relationships between the major characters. Owing to Chen Kun being besotted with another girl Zhou Xun, his wife Vicky Zhao Wei feels very hurt. Donnie Yen, who is secretly in love with his brother's wife, often comforts her, lending her a shoulder to cry on whenever she needs it. Donnie Yen feels sorry for his sister-in-law who's so gentle and kind, yet neglected by his brother. However, being a Taoist, he can only contain his feelings and restrain himself rather than openly declaring his love. Thus, he is very vexed by it. And the only one who is fully aware of the four-way eternal triangle and the real identity of Zhou Xun is a heroine Sun Li.

Zhao Wei says that Painted Skin is a big departure from the original, "This is actually a romance, while there are ghosts, it's not that important, I'll be a virtuous wife." She says that the relationships are more complicated, with more people being involved too. The director approaches the film from a unique angle, and there'll be plenty of suspense.  Xiao Xiang News, Shanghai Youth Daily

-- Painted Skin / Skin Lover --

Following the press conference whereby the cast members beat about the bush and kept everyone guessing about their roles, Donnie Yen reveals later that he's playing the ghost-buster, Chen Kun his bookish brother and Vicky Zhao Chen Kun's wife, Zhou Xun a hideous spirit that dons the skin of a beauty to prey on unsuspecting young men, while Sun Li's playing a new character who's also a ghost-catcher.

Donnie Yen also adds that the new Painted Skin / Skin Lover is like a period version of SDU in which everyone excels in martial arts and Donnie Yen is the commander of the SDU. Painted Skin is being filmed in Yinchuan, with a skirmish between Donnie Yen and Zhou Xun on the Silk Road being shot on the first day. Production is expected to wrap up in January, after which Donnie Yen would likely do Legend of Yip Man/Ye Wen.  Nanfang Daily