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Wong Kar-wai to produce ‘Ferryman’, Tony Leung signed to star

FERRYMAN 1Sina:

Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Wong Kar-wai and Zhang Jiajia yesterday attended the press conference to announce their new film titled ‘Bai Du Ren‘, translated as ‘Ferryman‘. The original writer Zhang Jiajia will direct the film and Wong Kar-wai will produce. The story is part of his 2014 best seller “I Belonged To You.” Zhang Jiajia thanked the team for its support and hoped that the first collaboration with Leung would set off a spark. Zhang even “expressed his feeling” to Leung and said that he was the only choice for the new film.

Tony Leung said “I took Ferryman because I want to play a romantic comedy.” He said that this time he took the role after reading only the synopsis, so far he still has not seen a script. He fully trusted his frequent collaborator Wong Kar-wai. After ten years without a romantic comedy he said that he had a lot of pressure with the performance.

Wong Kar-wai said that the script was being worked on. Wong was asked about only producing instead of directing and he listed five reasons for this. “This story is very influential, its director must be able to achieve five points, including that it must be like hot pot casserole, must be able to drink, must have a post 80 nostalgia, sounds like Wong Kar Wai but actually is Stephen Chow, and have the attention of a lot of women. Thus Zhang Jiajia is the most suitable.”

Financial backing is coming from Alibaba Pictures Group Limited. ‘Ferryman’ is the first movie project mainly run by Alibaba Pictures since it was established last year. The movie is expected to be released by the end of this year.

FERRYMAN 2FERRYMAN 3

 

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Jun Ji-Hyun and Tony Leung rumoured to star in ‘Ferryman’

jun ji hyun

Apple Daily:

Hong Kong auteur Wong Kar-wai has approached South Korean star Jun Ji-Hyun to star opposite Tony Leung Chiu-wai in his next movie, ‘Ferryman‘.

The actress is keen to work with the award-winning Grandmaster director, but is committed to another film project, Apple Daily said. Wong’s shoot is set to start in September in Nanjing, whereas Jun has a shoot at the end of the year for the film ‘Assassination‘.  Ferryman is a romance based on a Chinese short story by writer Zhang Jiajia.

Jun, who shot to international fame in 2001’s ‘My Sassy Girl’, could play Ah Yu, a young woman who is in love with painter Ma Li, to be played by Leung.

Wong is planning to cast ‘Lust, Caution’ actress Tang Wei as Ma Li’s unfaithful former wife, and Taiwanese-Japanese actor Takeshi Kaneshiro as Zhang.

A spokesman for Wong’s Jet Tone Films said that filming was to begin later this year, but did not name any of the cast. “I can only say that the actors we are talking to are heavyweights,” she said.

Song Hye Kyo, the South Korean actress who played the wife of Ip Man (Leung) in The Grandmaster, had found working with the director difficult. The film was 10 years in the making, and shooting took three years. All the actors said the filming was arduous and Song was said to be unhappy with the time-consuming shoot. The language barrier was also an issue for her, and may surface again should Jun be cast.

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Wong Kar-wai to adapt “I Belonged To You”

Wong Kar Wai

According to a new report from Hong Kong’s The Standard, Wong Kar-wai will shoot his next film in 2015. Mei Ah Entertainment are producing, with their chief executive Patrick Tong Hing-chi hinting it will be a romantic movie, adding that the main actor is someone “all women are crazy about.” Tong refused to say whether it is another collaboration with Tony Leung Chiu-wai, who has starred in seven of Wong’s eleven movies.

Filmbiz:

Wong Kar-wai is set to adapt a short story from the collection I Belonged to You 從你的全世界路過 for his next film. Author Zhang Jiajia confirmed the news yesterday on his Weibo microblog.

Originally published on the internet as “bedtime stories”, the book is divided into 38 chapters. It is described as a “cluttered” collection of love stories written in the style of a “friend narrating his tales to you in the middle of the night.”

Wong is adapting the chapter called 擺渡人 (literally Ferryman), about an affair between a girl and a married artist in Changchun. Rights for individual chapters of the book have reportedly been sold to other film companies, but Wong’s adaptation is the first that has been officially announced by Zhang himself.

According to its publisher, stories from the book have been reposted 1.5 million times on Chinese microblogs. In book form it has reportedly sold over two million copies. Zhang previously co-wrote the script of Wuershan’s The Butcher, the Chef and the Swordsman.

Zhang wrote that the film is set to begin shooting soon with a very strong cast. Earlier this month,Mei Ah’s Patrick Tong told local media that Wong was preparing to shoot a romance in 2015.

ZHANG Jiajia

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MMA Fighter Cung Le Appearing in The Grand Master

Vietnamese mixed martial artist Cung Le will be appearing in The Grand Master.
Earlier this month the former Strikeforce Middleweight Champion spoke of the possibility of working with director Wong Kar-wai:

Any additional Hollywood plans at the moment?
CL: I just got an offer to go to China before this shoot, and they’re willing to work around my schedule, to work with the famous director Wong Kar Wai. He’s a pioneer, and a very interesting artist.

http://thegarv.com/Cung-Le-speaks-on-future-and-current-movie-roles.html

On 25th October Cung Le tweeted:

“At San Fran International airport waiting to leave to Hong Kong. Get to work with Wong Kar Wai and Master Woo-ping at the same time! UsH!”

http://twitter.com/CungLe185

The Garv relayed an e-mail received from the MMA fighter:

“I am in China right now filming a movie with Director Wong Kar Wai and Action Director Woo-ping for a few weeks and will be back in the states on Nov. 7th to start Dragon Eyes a Joel Silver and After Dark production for seven weeks in New Orleans. I go back to China after Christmas to finish Grandmaster with Wong Kar Wai and Master Woo-ping for a week or two.”

http://thegarv.com/Cung-Le-Speaks-on-Future-and-Current-Movie-Roles.html
The mixed martial artist and actor has had supporting roles in Pandorum, Fighting, Bodyguards and Assassins and True Legend.

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Bruce Leung Siu Lung to appear in The Grand Master

Martial arts actor Bruce Leung Siu-lung aka Bruce Liang (Gallants, Kung Fu Hustle) confirmed in an interview that he would be starring in The Grand Master.

CSB: You’ve done a lot of comedies since your comeback. Do you want to tackle some more dramatic roles?
Bruce Leung: Since Kung Fu Hustle, I’ve actually done 12 or 13 films in all different genres, not just comedies. I’m actually going to go to Shanghai to shoot a film with Chow Yun-Fat that does not require me to do any martial arts. And there is another one with Tony Leung Chiu-Wai. I will also be in Wong Kar-Wai’s movie about Ip Man, playing one of the masters.

http://www.cinemastrikesback.com/?p=2681

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Casting call for The Grand Master

As I suspected filming on “The Grand Master” continues.
Credit to: http://www.soompi.com/

Here’s a casting call for hiring supporting actors/actresses for the film:

*Auditions for a maid, to start filming end June / early July, accommodation will be provided.
Audition to be held on 9 June.
Age: either 13-18 or 25-30.

*4 replacements for Tony Leung, Zhang Ziyi, Chang Chen and Song Hye-kyo, as well as a number of actors for portraying students.
The audition is on 13 June.

http://www.gzucjob.com.cn/showjob.asp?id=1425
http://www.soompi.com/

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The Grand Master Casting Speculation round-up

Brigitte Lin?:

In January 2009, it was reported that Wong Kar-wai had invited Brigitte Lin to appear in “The Grand Master.” It was originally thought that she would be playing the role of Yip Man’s wife but this was later denied by the film’s producer Ng See-Yuen.
He admitted that they had dined with the actress and that she had agreed to star in the film. However, they did not know what role she would play. He hoped that the reports would not change her mind. Did Brigitte Lin have any conditions for her comeback? Ng See-Yuen expressed that he did not know, but that the actress and Wong Kar Wai are great friends.
According to Taiwan’s United Daily News, Brigitte Lin’s character was shrouded in secrecy but that there are scenes where she will have to be disguised as a man, harking back to her previous androgynous roles.
In September 2009, it was reported that Brigitte Lin turned down a role in the film because it was not tailor-made for her.

http://hktopten.blogspot.com/2009/05/20090528-ng-see-yuen-fears-brigitte-lin.html
http://sg.news.yahoo.com/xin/20090122/ten-484-brigitte-lin-tony-leung-jay-chou-3c1b9bc.html
http://news.xinhuanet.com/ent/2009-09/30/content_12131995.htm

Gong Li?:

In February 2009, Yip Chun (son of Yip Man and an adviser on “The Grand Master”) stated during an interview that Wong Kar-wai was thinking about inviting Gong Li to join the project. Speculation in the media about what role she might play followed, with many fans apparently believing the subsequent reports that she was co-starring in the film. It was at first reported that she would be playing Yip Man’s wife but was later stated that the role would be “a female martial arts master from Foshan.” However, the casting idea was unconfirmed by others associated with the project.

http://sg.news.yahoo.com/xin/20090212/ten-608-gong-li-female-lead-wong-kar-wai-3c1b9bc.html
http://ent.sina.com.cn/m/c/2009-02-11/04082370470.shtml

Jay Chou?:

In January 2009, it was reported that singer/actor Jay Chou would be playing the part of Bruce Lee in “The Grand Master.”
At the 2008 Taiwanese Golden Horse Awards ceremony, the film’s producer Ng See-Yuen revealed that Wong had extended an invite to Chou to take part in the film.
In February 2009, Chou confirmed that his busy schedule meant he couldn’t take part in the film.

http://sg.news.yahoo.com/xin/20090122/ten-484-brigitte-lin-tony-leung-jay-chou-3c1b9bc.html
http://sg.news.yahoo.com/xin/20090219/ten-654-jay-chou-rejects-role-bruce-lee-3c1b9bc.html

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Song Hye-kyo cast in The Grand Master

December 2009

According to China’s portal site, Sina.com on December 21st, Song Hye Kyo (Full House) has decided to appear in director Wong Kar-wai’s The Grand Master and is currently undergoing intense training. Tony Leung, Zhang Ziyi, Chang Chen, and other top stars from Greater China are also appearing. This will be Song Hye Kyo’s first challenge in an action role since her debut. It has been known that Song Hye Kyo went to China at the beginning of this month to undergo martial arts training. Sina.com revealed photos of her practice form where she is sporting casual attire.
Wong had continuously expressed his interest in working with Song, officially stating so at the Pusan International Film Festival in 2004. He also invited her to the premiere of his film “My Blueberry Nights” held in New York of August 2008.
A rep for Song Hye-kyo confirmed, ” Due to confidentiality stipulations, further details cannot be revealed, but it is correct that Song Hye Kyo she is currently preparing for a new project in China.”
Song Hye-kyo’s management company, Eden9 stated, “Since first receiving director Wong’s proposal, she decided to take part in the movie. As of yet, we are not at the stage to reveal which role she will take. Currently, she is learning Cantonese and practicing martial arts.”
Director Wong Kar-wai stated, “Though she won’t have many action scenes, we want her body to be familiarized with natural movements.” Also, she will work with a native tutor to study Chinese.

http://www.songhyegyo.net/press/articles_010610.htm
http://star.moneytoday.co.kr/view/stview.php?no=2009122017021753955&type=1&outlink=1
http://www.dramabeans.com/2009/12/song-hye-gyo-cast-in-wong-kar-wais-new-film/
http://www.songhyegyo.net/press/articles_122109.htm

For her first advancement in China with the movie, “The Grand Master”, ‘Hallyu Queen’ Song Hye Kyo (28) is living life like a high school senior as she takes the most excellent measure in preparing for this project.
Ahead of next month’s full-scale filming for the movie, these days she remains on location in China, coming and going between her lodging quarters and the martial arts practice room. In between this, she receives two hours of private Chinese lessons everyday. As she is in an area without internet access, she speaks with both her mom and lover Hyun Bin by telephone to send each other their best regards and love.
A close associate of Song Hye Kyo conveyed how she has been getting along. “This is her first Chinese advancement work, so she has great enthusiasm for this movie.” She added, “As of late, she pretty much just goes to and from her lodging quarters and the martial arts practice room and cannot even cast her eyes to any other place. She is no different than a high school senior preparing for exams.”

http://www.songhyegyo.net/press/articles_032910.htm