Beijing-based Enlight Pictures held a press conference on June 11th to announce a slate of eight current and future productions planned for release in 2009 and 2010, including at least four martial arts-related action titles.
Directed by Benny Chan, the sci-fi actioner CITY UNDER SIEGE is currently in production and stars Aaron Kwok, Collin Chou, Jacky Wu Jing, and actress Zhang Jing-chu. A behind-the-scenes preview of the film that was unveiled at the press conference reveals a lot of high-flying wire stunts and martial arts in an urban environment. It also looks like Wu-Jing and Collin Chou will be taking each other on in this film.
The film’s plot concerns a group of circus performers who go on a rampage after being subjected to a mutation that grants them superhuman abilities. One of them, a clown, doesn’t approve of their misdeeds and stands against them in order to protect the city.
The plot sounds a little bit like Tsui Harks’ poorly received BLASK MASK 2. Hopefully, Chan’s film will do better. Check out a video preview at Sina. The actual preview begins after the two-minute mark.
The ever-in-demand Donnie Yen will be starring in CHEN ZHEN, another take on the semi-fictional kung fu character introduced to audiences by writer-director Lo Wei in FIST OF FURY and originally portrayed by Bruce Lee. Yen also portrayed the character previously on the popular TV series FIST OF FURY. The film will be directed by Andrew Lau and is expected to be released in December of 2010.
Yen will also star in LIAO ZHAI, aka DARK TALES, a supernatural period drama, also directed by Lau. The film is another adaptation of author Pu Songling’s Qing Dynasty-era anthology “Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio.” Although this material previously provided the basis for Ching Siu-tung’s A CHINESE GHOST STORY, Chan stated that he intended to direct one of Pu’s stories that haven’t been adapted before.
Another project for Gordon Chan is an adaptation of Wen Ruian’s wuxia novel “Four Famous Detectives.” It will be the first entry in a planned franchise. The film is currently in early development but is expected to go into production 2010. Chan plans to put fresh talent into the four lead roles.
Production will begin 2010 on director Dante Lam’s ARROW, the first entry in the “Codex of Weapons” series which concerns weapons, technologies and inventions of ancient China.
Other films announced include writer-director Wong Yuk-long’s animated comic book adaptation MAGIC SOLDIER IN CHINA, David Bowers’s computer animated ASTRO BOY and Lunar New Year comedy ALL’S WELL, END’S WELL TOO. The latter is a sequel to Clifton Ko’s popular 1992 comedy and will see the return of the film’s original stars, obviously sans the late Leslie Cheung.
Source: Screen Daily, Wu-Jing.org
Related Topics:Arrow (2010) • City Under Siege (2009) • Dante Lam • Donnie Yen • Gordon Chan • Jacky Wu Jing • The Legend of Chen Zhen (2010) • upcoming
- greg k
