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-- HK Filmart 2008 --

CJ7

Straits Times

6 Feb 2008, Boon Cheng

Comic Relief

Stephen Chow conquered the East - and West - with his nonsensical humour in Kungfu Hustle. Will he have the last laugh for taking risks in his new family-oriented film?

Never work with children or dogs, goes the old showbiz saying. Comedy king Stephen Chow Sing Chi works with both in his latest film, CJ7, which opens here tomorrow. But neither the child star nor canine character reared their heads at his press conference here earlier this week. Instead, the director-actor shared the limelight with Chinese starlet Kitty Zhang Yu Qi, in the process dispelling rumours of a rift between the two.

-- China Film Group to Co-produce Hollywood Action Films --

China Film Group announces that it's currently in talks to collaborate with Hollywood studios on three movies. The first plans on getting Will Smith and either Stephen Chow or Jackie Chan on board, with either of the latter playing a Chinese stuntman who changes the life of a withdrawn American kid. The kid would be played by Will Smith's son while he may take on a villainous role. The second is Taichi Tiger, a project planned by Keanu Reeves to fulfill the wish of Tiger Chen. He'll play a supporting role while Tiger Chen the protagonist. Keanu Reeves, accompanied by Tiger Chen, visited Sichuan recently for location scouting. The third is Disney's remake of Snow White, whose cast is so far unconfirmed, though some names have been mentioned.  Yangcheng Evening News

-- Yip Man vs Yip Man --

Wong Kar Wai announced a project on Bruce Lee's master Yip Man, a legendary practitioner of Wing Chun, 5 years back, with Tony Leung being cast as Yip Man. The project, tentatively called Grandmaster, traces Yip Man from leaving his hometown of Foshan in China's Guangdong province to teach Wing Chun in Hong Kong, to taking Bruce Lee as a disciple when he was in his 60s. Tony Leung has already started learning Wing Chun for the role. However, so far, there has been no sign of the film beginning production.

Now, another studio, Mandarin Films, is also planning to make a biopic based on the same person, with Donnie Yen being invited to play Yip Man. Raymond Wong confirms that Mandarin Films has just decided to shoot this movie and is in initial stage of production, gathering information on the life of Yip Man, and in coming up with a script. Raymond Wong says that there won't be any conflict of interests between Wong Kar Wai's Grandmaster and his version for they would be taking a different approach. The main focus of Mandarin Films version would be martial arts.

Donnie Yen whose schedule is tightly packed, has not confirmed his role. He's still considering about it as, among other reasons, Flash Point has taxed him physically. 10 years back, Jeff Lau teamed up with Corey Yuen to bring the story of Yip Man on the screen, with Donnie Yen as Yip Man and Stephen Chow as Bruce Lee. Donnie Yen had signed the contract and received part of the acting fee. However, the studio folded resulting in the project being abandoned.  Information Times, Straits Times

-- Stephen Chow's Next --

Two icons of Chinese pop culture, comedian Stephen Chow and martial arts novelist Louis Cha (Jin Yong), may make a move together. Apple Daily said Chow, 44, organised a dinner on Monday for his hero, Cha, 82, at the members-only Shanghai Fraternity Association in Central in Hong Kong.

Over them meal, the actor-director presented Cha with a draft of a new script for a kungfu movie, said the report. Stephen Chow said if Louis Cha liked it, he could consider co-writing the film with him. The report said Stephen Chow hand plans for a movie incorporating many characters from Cha's books, including tragic hero Qiao Feng and his sworn brother Xuzhu from Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils and lovers Guo Jing and Huang Rong from The Legend of The Condor Heroes.

Personalities like sci-fi novelist Ni Kuang, Singapore-born writer-movie producer Chua Lam, Apple Daily columnist Chip Tsao and singer Paula Tsui were present at the dinner. Chow recently completed filming for a sci-fi comedy A hope, which was previously called Yangtze River VII.

A self-professed fan of Louis Cha's stories, he dropped references to Return of The Condor Heroes in his 2004 hit film Kung Fu Hustle. In the movie, a comical pugilistic couple played by Yuen Wah and Yuen Qiu reveal that their names are Yang Guo and Xiaolongnu - just like the characters from Return of Condor Heroes. When the movie was released, Stephen Chow asked if Louis Cha wanted to be paid royalties for the references and the author jokingly demanded HK$60 thousand for the six mentions. The report said Stephen Chow paid up and Louis Cha donated the sum to victims of the Asian tsunami.  The Straits Times

-- Kung Fu Hustle 2 --

Eva Huang Sheng Yi, currently filming 《功夫状元》 Kungfu Beggar TV series that is produced by Stephen Chow and is wrapping up by end of the month, says that while the script for Kung Fu Hustle 2 《功夫2》 is not done, her role has been confirmed. She will play a rough and wild girl with martial arts ability, a big contrast to her role as the gentle, mute girl in the original. She will have plenty of lines in the sequel, coupled with fight scenes. She says that production might begin in October and adds that she will also be in 《功夫少女》 Kungfu Girl (tentative), another film being planned by Stephen Chow.  Ninghai News

-- Wu Jing on Not Doing Seven Swords of Mt Tian --

On March 13, Wu Jing and Jessica Hsuan were in Shenzhen to promote the TV version of A Chinese Ghost Story, which began airing there on the same day. Other than matters concerning A Chinese Ghost Story, which was written by the highly imaginative and much lauded screenwriter Thirteen Chan, who was behind such TV hits as Donnie Yen's Fist of Fury, Joey Meng's My Date with A Vampire series, etc.

Wu Jing was also being enquired about his collaboration with his new management and why he dropped Seven Swords of Mt Tian TV series all of sudden. He explained that back then, he was still in production of Sha Po Lang in which he acted as a killer, one without any lines [though not a mute], which was quite a challenge on the histrionic skill. He did not regret having missed Seven Swords of Mt Tian for he would be merely repeating his role. [Wu Jing was scheduled to play Ling Mo Feng, styled Divine Eulalia of Mt Tian, a dour, stolid, proud and aloof swordsman who constantly grapples with a painful past he is trying to forget. However, in the first half of the series shot last year, this character, known as Mu Lang in his early days, has bright and cheery dispositions.]

 He also added that he still maintains a regular routine of no less than 2 hours of training in wushu, gym workout and jogging. And after signing to Abba Management, which produces Sha Po Lang, Wu Jing and his management have agreed on reduced production count, and concentrate on quality rather than quantity. Movies they are making will not only accentuate authentic kungfu but also seek innovation, such as how Stephen Chow marry martial arts with script in Kung Fu Hustle. [Hey, wouldn't Seven Swords make a better example?]  Shenzhen Evening News

Yuen Wo Ping on House of Fury

Hanngzhou Daily, 11 March 2005

Martial arts choreographer Yuen Wo Ping is, without a shadow of doubt, a certified maestro of the genre, having done many blockbusters of compelling martial arts sequences in the East and West. From Drunken Master, Fist of Legend, Master of Taichi, The Matrix trilogy, Kill Bill to Kung Fu Hustle, not only are they critically acclaimed but also a big success at the box office. Come March 24, House of Fury 《精武家庭》, in which Yuen Wo Ping again took charge of the action scenes, will be released nationwide. Yesterday, over the phone interview, Yuen Wo Ping did not mask his delights for this new feature directed by Stephen Fung.

-- Kung Fu Hustle DVD (YesAsia) --

Stephen Chow's latest martial arts comedy Kung Fu Hustle that was a phenomenal box office success in Asia is now available for pre-order and expects to ship on Feb 25, 2005. All Standard, Frosting Box and  Dermis Box Edition DVDs (DTS) are uncut and come with a limited YesAsia exclusive 89 colour pages booklet (while stock lasts) containing information on the cast, various production notes, Yuen Wo Ping interview, Stephen Chow's career, kungfu film History, character cut-outs, etc.

What's Eating Stephen Chow

The Straits Times, 21 December 2004
Hong Xinyi

Lauded as a comedian extraordinaire, the Hong Kong Superstar, here to promote Kung Fu Hustle, is surprisingly serious in person, as Hong Xinyi finds out.

Hey, What's So Funny?

Hong Kong's King of Comedy prefers martial arts to making people laugh... serious.

He has been tickly your funny bone as Hong Kong's comedian extraordinaire for the past 15 years. But if you ask him, what Stephen Chow really wants to do is flaunt his prowess as a martial arts expert. In town yesterday with some of his co-stars to promote his latest film Kung Fu Hustle, Stephen chow, 42, displayed little of his screen persona's mischievous irreverence. The cheekiness evident from his starring role in 1990s All for The Winner to 2001 blockbuster hit Shaolin Soccer was noticeably absent.

-- Kung Fu Hustle --
One of Asia's top "comedy stars" Stephen Chow is in Singapore to promote his latest movie - Kung Fu Hustle - which opens in cinemas on Thursday, Dec 23, 2004. And he's also scouting for martial arts talent from Singapore for the movie's sequel. Kung Fu Hustle is a dream come true for funnyman Stephen Chow, who as a child, idolised the late martial arts actor Bruce Lee.

Set in pre-evolutionary China, "Kung Fu Hustle" depicts the aspirations of a small time thief to become a kungfu master and to defeat the ruthless underworld mafia. And these comedic martial moves impressed Stephen Chow so much, he announced to a mostly-male fan audience that he'd start looking for talent for the movie's sequel here in Singapore.  Channel News Asia