Hong Kong filmmaker Gordon Chan is planning a big screen adaptation of Taiwanese author Wen Rui-an’s popular wuxia novel “Four Marshals,” AKA “Four Famous Detectives,” but he’s having to fight for the title. Although Chan has rights to the work, director Guo Qun-shu is currently shooting an unrelated, modern-day crime actioner that already bears the same title in Chinese.

This situation resembles a similar one that involved two movies from directors Wilson Yip and Wong Kar-wai. Both films were based on the life of Wing Chun master Yip Man and baring the man’s name as their title. The dispute was resolved when Wilson Yip changed his film’s English title to the alternate spelling of IP MAN.

Guo’s film concerns four police detectives with unique professional skills tasked with tracking down two fugitives into a remote region of China. Standing in their way are two hired assassins, played by Francis Ng and actress Yu Nan. Charlie Yeung portrays Ng’s girlfriend.

The four detectives are played by Duan Yi-hong (THE MESSAGE), Ni Da-hong (CURSE OF THE GOLDEN FLOWER), Wu Jing (LEGENDARY ASSASSIN), and Zhang Li (CAT AND MOUSE).

In speaking to Chinese media, Gao has stated that his action film will not rely too much on stunt doubles or editing and that the actors went through extensive training during pre-production to prepare them for performing many of their own stunts. He also mentioned that the gunplay will be more authentic, meaning firearms would match what real mainland Chinese police use today and ammo would not be in abundant supply.

Less is known about Chan’s film at this point as it’s still in development. However, we do know his source material, Wen Rui-an’s novel, is well known in Asia and has already been adapted into at least two different TV series. The plot centers on four fighting detectives in the jiang hu (martial underworld) tasked with solving a mass murder.

Chan’s first Hollywood production, KING OF FIGHTERS, is coming in 2010 and he has several other projects in development including a second remake of FIST OF FURY. He previously directed FIST OF LEGEND starring Jet Li.

Sources: Wu-Jing.org, Sina

Related Topics

Francis Ng, Gordon Chan, upcoming, Wen Rui-an, Wu Jing, Wuxia