TV News

 From Wu Jing's Blog, dated December 31, 2010:
 
 Since my first production, everyone has been calling me kungfu kid, but even till now, people still call me kungfu kid. All along, everyone within and without the entertainment circle has been telling me: you still lack a work, you still lack a chance. It happened that there was a slump in Hong Kong film industry after Tai Chi 2, I was approached by 7 scripts, but they weren't realised due to financial issues. It's 15 years already, yet, regrettably, I still do not have a something called a representative work. Continue reading "Being True to His Heart, Wu Jing Soldiers On to Do Liu Meng's Millitary TV Series"

-- Legend of Shaolin Kungfu 3: Heroes of the Great Desert --

When Legend of Shaolin Kungfu 1 and 2 TV series were released in 32 TV stations in China, they topped the viewership ratings in 28 areas. They also enjoyed success in Japan, Asia, Europe and US. And now, Legend of Shaolin Kungfu 3: Heroes of the Great Desert, starring Li Yuan, Xie Miao, Sun Hui Ning, Cao Jun, Xu Peng Jun, Xu Ming Hu, Xu Xiang Dong, Sammo Hung, Li Being Lei, Yuen Wah, Gordon Liu, Ji Chun Hua, Gao Ming, Xu Huai Shan, Ma Jing Wu, etc, which took over 8 months in production, mostly shot in Ningxia, has just finished post-production, and is airing on Henan Satellite TV and other Chinese satellite stations in July. 

Continue reading "Legend of Shaolin Kungfu 3 Slated for July 2011 Release"

Fan Siu Wong: I have just finished filming Wilson Yip's A Chinese Ghost Story, I'm doing 4 projects right now, two are movies, Tsui Hark's Flying Swords of Dragon Gate and Soi Cheang's The Monkey King, and both 3D movies, so shooting them are more difficult. Because the demands are higher, when we shoot action films in the past, each shot could be shorter, but for Flying Swords of Dragon Gate, they are after longer cuts, and because this is in 3D, the audience will see a sense of depth, this 3D feel is very palpable, if the cuts are too short, it would confound the eyes, cause vertigo, so, we have to do longer takes. The martial arts choreographer tells us that when we fight, we must consider the depth of field too, like the sword, if we put it closer to the camera, the audience would feel as if the sword is right in front of them.

Continue reading "Fan Siu Wong Interview: From Early Days to More Recent Works, including Flying Swords of Dragon Gate"

 -- Legend of Madam White Snake --
 At a press conference held in Chong Yang, Hubei on September 29 afternoon, the crew and cast for 《白蛇传说》 Legend of Madam White Snake (tentative), which depicts the tale of forbidden love between a snake spirit and a mortal, with the intervention of an eminent monk, were formally announced:
 
 Yang Zi, who's in the midst of filming Unparalleled Hero Fong Sai Yu TV series with Shi Xiao Long and Xu Ming Hu, and Chui Po Chu are producing, with Ching Siu Tung directing, while Eva Huang stars as White Snake, Raymond Lam as Xu Xian, Jet Li as Reverend Fa Hai, Charlene Choi as Green Snake and Wen Zhang, whom Jet Li invited to play his disciple Neng Ren, who despite his name meaning able to endure, loses his soul the moment he sets his sights upon Green Snake.
 
 Eva Huang said that she has many fight scenes in Legend of Madam White Snake, which has been in production in the scenic Chong Yang since the beginning of this month and is slated for release in 2nd half of 2011. And recently, she has done a few scenes opposite Jet Li, who was absent as he was meeting Warren Buffet and Bill Gates to discuss charity matters, "He's very professional, when he's doing action scenes, I'd stay one side to learn on the sly."  The Beijing News

-- Legend of Shaolin Kungfu 3 --

As the ultimate villain in Legend of Shaolin Kungfu 3: Heroes of the Great Desert, Sammo Hung is playing general Wan Shou Shan from the fallen Ming Dynasty who spends his entire life going against the Manchu empire. Sun Hui Ning describes that while their collaboration was rather short, everyone was able to feel the prowess of Sammo Hung, imparting such domineering presence worthy of a general of Xilu Society, he is indeed an actor with real strength.

 

Wan Shou Shan is extremely cunning, scheming, devious and ruthless, and would stop at nothing to achieve his goals, even at the expense of the lives of his children. He wields great military powers, and is responsible for the death of the Ming prince, thus becoming the only remnant Ming loyalist in power to reclaim the throne.

 

Time and again, he sends assassins after the present ruler Emperor Kangxi. Emperor Kangxi, who wishes for peace and prosperity of the nation, doesn't wish to take up arms, and intends to grant amnesty and recruit him instead, but Wan Shou Shan would rather perish than yield to the court, and the uprising continues...  Sohu

-- Legend of Shaolin Kungfu 3 --

After over 7 months of intensive and gruelling filming, Legend of Shaolin Kungfu 3: Heroes of the Great Desert, directed by Du Xiao, has successfully wrapped up in late April 2010. Following the tradition of Legend of Shaolin Kungfu series, the final instalment features various martial artists as Shaolin monks, including Li Yuan, Xu Peng Jun, Xie Miao, (who was simultaneously filming a kungfu comedy Fist Club 《拳馆》 with Kou Zhan Wen in April), Xu Ming Hu, Cao Jun, etc.

 

Veteran martial artists like Yuen Wah, Gordon Liu, Xu Xiang Dong, Sammo Hung, etc are specially hired to take on villainous roles, to ensure that both sides are evenly matched, rewarding the audiences with numerous authentic and intricate fights. Sammo Hung is playing the final villain Wan Shou Shan. In addition, veteran actor Bao Guo An, the wonderful abbot from the first instalment, is back, by popular demand. Rounding up the cast are Sun Hui Ning, Yuuki Moami, Ji Chun Hua and Wang Zhi Gang.

Here are some pics from the blogs of Xu Ming Hu, Xie Miao, Li Yuan and Xu Peng Jun:

Continue reading "It's a Wrap for Legend of Shaolin Kungfu 3"

Sina has released yet another bunch of stills from True Legend, this time containing a few images of Gordon Liu. Gordon Liu plays the role of Whitebeard, a mischievous elderly who is a doyen of martial arts. Seeing through Zhao Wen Zhuo's heart, he helps him gain deeper understanding of the essence of martial arts, pushing him to new heights. 

 

Continue reading "Gordon Liu in True Legend and Legend of Shaolin Kungfu 3"

-- Legend of Shaolin Kungfu 3 --
As with the first, Legend of Shaolin Kungfu 3 is divided into a few story arcs. In each arc, director Du Xiao is taking great pains in casting, hiring such top veteran martial arts stars as Yuen Wah, Yuen Biao, Gordon Liu from Hong Kong, "I want to let the 8 monks keep fighting from beginning to the end, and their opponents will be these martial arts exponents." Continue reading "Yuen Wah Goes Against The Monks in Legend of Shaolin Kungfu 3"

--  Legend of Shaolin Kungfu 3 --
Li Yuan is playing one of the 8 main Shaolin monks in Legend of Shaolin Kungfu 3: Heroes of the Great Desert. He's also the most highly skilled among the 8, and is especially proficient in unarmed combat.

Li Yuan says, "The 2nd senior I'm playing is very similar to the first, but he's more determined, and also a bit more affectionate. To me, it's not merely a roundup of Legend of Shaolin Kungfu trilogy, but also my comprehension of the character after four years of filming, as well as a summing up of my understanding of kungfu productions.

Continue reading "Li Yuan, the Most Powerful Shaolin Disciple in Legend of Shaolin Kungfu 3"

Yuen Wah is playing Little Zhuge, one who is highly skilled, and also a very humorous person. Yuen Wah says that he has a sunny disposition, and he doesn't let anything unhappy affects him. As such, he hopes to cheers up the audience with this character. Yuen Wah describes his character as a minor villain, one who often overrates himself and does many foolish things.

Continue reading "Meeting Yuen Wah and Ji Chun Hua On Legend of Shaolin Kungfu 3: Heroes of the Great Desert"

-- Journey to the West --

Some shots of Tripitaka, Monkey King, Pigsy, Sandy, Dragon Prince, and Bull Demon King from Sina

 

-- Young Ip Man --

Following his appearance as Liu Bei in Light-transcending Pandora's Box, Jeffrey Lau's parody on Red Cliff, Yuen Biao is joining Young Ip Man, produced by Sin Kwok Lam, directed by Herman Yau, this November, while the prolific Jeffrey Lau would start filming another work around the same time.

Yuen Biao would be playing Ip Man's senior Ng Chung Suk, responsible for further training Ip Man after their master Chan Wah Shun passed away.

 

Young Ip Man, which traces Yip Man's life between age of 11 to 28, also stars To Yu Hang, possibly as Yip Man, Fan Siu Wong, who has recently been training Wing Chun daily under Sin Kwok Lam, and Huang Yi as Yip Man's girlfriend.

As such, owing to schedule conflicts, Yuen Biao could only make a cameo in the ongoing production Legend of Shaolin Kungfu 3. The role he'd be playing is still undergoing negotiation.

 

Meanwhile, Tony Leung, who is back to Wing Chun training, still feels some pain when exerting him arm as it takes 3 months before his fractured arm would fully recover. Producer Ng See Yuen says The Great Master by Wong Kar Wai and apparently with Yuen Wo Ping as the martial arts choreographer, which, coincidentally, is about Yip Man's life after his migration to Hong Kong and his relations with other sects, has to begin filming in November - come what may. But who knows it'd be pushed back yet again. Ng See Yuen is forbidding Wong Kar Wai, who's facing tremendous pressure, from altering the script on the set, "The script must be finalised first, can't let him keep changing the script as he shoots the film."  Sina, Chongqing News