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--  Ip Man the Prequel --
In his interview with Sina, Leung Siu Hung, martial arts director for Ip Man the Prequel, says, "We already have had all the action sequences choreographed. We've also filmed a demo reel performed by the stuntmen, the boss and director are very happy. Ip Man the Prequel will also see Yip Man fighting foreigners, Western Boxing, Fencing, Japanese Karate...

"But the most exhilarating scene to look out for is Wing Chun vs Wing Chun, which is a showcase of the essence of Wing Chun. Yip Man's first master was Chan Wah Shun, who specialised in long range technique. When he was in Hong Kong, he trained under Leung Bik, who taught him inch punch. The combination and conflicts between these two polar characteristics in the film are most fascinating.

Producer Sin Kwok Lam says that Ip Man the Prequel will show various techniques of Wing Chun  in great detail, such as Wing Chun kicks and throws, à la The Prodigal Son.

《叶问前传》 Ip Man the Prequel (tentative) has begun production in Hong Kong on November 7. Herman Yau is directing this film, produced by Sin Kwok Lam. Ip Chun serves as the film's advisor and will cameo as Yip Man's second mentor Leung Bik. Under invitation from Foshan government, 2/3 of the scenes from Ip Man the Prequel will be shot on location in Foshan, including the original village Ip Man lived in.

Whether it is fuelled by the success Wilson Yip's Ip Man or not, Wing Chun is fast becoming a popular kungfu onscreen, with many Wing Chun-themed movies being produced.

-- Ip Man 2 --
《叶问2:宗师传奇》 Ip Man 2: Legend of Grandmaster held a press conference (video), attended by producer Raymond Wong, director Wilson Yip and the cast, in Foshan on 10 August evening to mark the commencement of the production.   

Actual filming will take place on a soundstage in Shanghai the next day and it will have twice the amount of martial arts scenes. The film is due for release next summer.

On October 8, a press conference marking the launch of Ip Man official site, now carrying Ip Man trailer, was held. Following that, Wilson Yip, Donnie Yen, Lynn Hung proceeded to a chat organised by Sina, hosted by Zhao Ning. They were joined in by film critic Wei Jun Zi.

-- Wing Chun --
Emperor Motion Pictures is planning to produce a Wing Chun film, with Benny Chan directing. Nicholas Tse and Gillian Chung are set to play the leading roles. The female lead was originally intended for Isabella Leong but owing to her dispute with the company, Gillian Chung was chosen to fill the role instead.

Charlene Choi says, "Gillian Chung is feeling better now, and as it has always been her dreams to do kung fu films, she has bought some Wing Chun manuals. I often tease her for studying martial arts manuals. She's also training under some martial arts coaches."  Zhejiang Entertainment, 67

Follow-up: However, further enquiries made with Emperor Pictures reveals that nothing is set in the stone, including the script, the director and the cast.  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.

Bey Logan's Blog has been updated recently with a number of articles on recent martial arts movies as well as martial arts legends. Firstly, there are interviews with filmmaker, martial arts director, Hung-gar master Liu Chia Liang, a Hung Gar legend Lam Cho, and a trip down the memory lane with Golden Harvest's Raymond Chow.

Next up is an audio commentary session with Jaycee Chan, Shawn Yue and Andy On for Dragon Dynasty's Invisible Target DVD, a brief moment with Sammo Hung at Fatal Move Premiere, and, in conjunction with the production of Mandarin Film's "Yip Man", directed by Wilson Yip, action directed by Sammo Hung and starring Donnie Yen, takes a look at Wing Chun lineage and related films.

As a side note, Coming Soon interviews Donnie Yen as Flash Point gets limited release in US this week.

-- Yip Man Press Conference --
Press conference marking the inauguration of 80m yuan kungfu biopic "Yip Man" was held in Foshan at the Hall of Yip Man on Feb 26 afternoon. "Yip Man" is directed by Wilson Yip, produced by Mandarin Films. Sammo Hung will be the the martial arts director. The cast includes Donnie Yen, Lynn Hung, Simon Yam, Lam Ka Tung. Yip Man's two sons and several Wing Chun practitioners also turned up to show their support.

The event kicked off with a lion dance performance as well as Donnie Yen performing a Wing Chun training routine on the wooden dummy. "Yip Man" begins production in March, and is expected to wrap up in June. 90% of the film will focus on events surrounding Yip Man that took place in Foshan between the 1930s to 1940s. Unfortunately, the buildings in today's Foshan are architecturally different from the past, so they'd shoot in Shanghai instead.

-- Philip Ng on Wing Chun TV Series --

There has always been the misconception that Wing Chun kung fu was developed by a girl for a girl, but in reality, Wing Chun is a method of combat that has been developed for human beings, regardless of gender, race, or even choice of eating habits. Wing Chun's success as one of the premier combat arts is due primarily to it simplicity, efficiency, and directness in both its techniques and concepts.  Philip Ng Blog >>More<<

-- Legend of Twin Dragons and Wing Chun DVDs --

Based on the trailer as well as plot, cast, costumes, etc, Legend of Twin Dragons appears to be same work as the 40-part TV series Wing Chun that's scheduled for airing on Mainland TV later this month. It seems that the two are different versions in terms of length, with Legend of Twin Dragons, being called a "movie" and reportedly containing more violent scenes such that it was barred from theatrical screening (though this could possibly be publicity stunt since the "movie", possibly being carved out of the same mould as the TV version, would not likely get wide release anyway even if it made it to the theatres), having a shorter running time of around 1 and 1/2 hrs. Legend of Twin Dragon has just been released on DVD in China and is available from such Chinese online video store as Cnave.

Wing Chun, starring Yuen Biao, Nicholas Tse, Sammo Hung, Rain Li, Ji Chun Hua, Xu Xiang Dong, Sammy Hung, Hu Ke, Elanne Kwong, is due for DVD release on July 24. 

Pre-ordered DVD from YesAsia.