Presented by Media Asia Films and Enlight Pictures, the ￥100m action epic “The Legend of Chen Zhen” held its first press conference in Shanghai, on November 15. To commence its principal photography, the stellar cast and crew gathered at the event, including producer Gordon Chan, director and producer Andrew Lau, actor and action director Donnie Yen, together with Shu Qi, Huang Bo, Zhou Yang and Huo Siyan. Also present were the film’s investors, such as Enlight Media’s president Wang Changtian, Media Asia Group’s chairman Peter Lam, and Enlight Pictures’ president Zhang Zhao and Media Asia Film’s CEO John Chong.
The ￥100m Directing Trio
At the event, John Chong of Media Asia revealed that “The Legend of Chen Zhen” was budgeted at ￥100m (USD15m), and marked the collaboration of Gordon Chan, Andrew Lau and Donnie Yen, the three directors who had achieved ￥100m box office respectively. This winning trio would be setting a new milestone for the action genre. “Gordon Chan becomes a household name with last year’s ‘Painted Skin’, which makes him the fifth Chinese director in history to achieve ￥200m box office record. Andrew Lau had raised the bar with “Look For A Star”, which also garnered ￥100m box office in Mainland China alone. Donnie Yen both starred and choreographed the action in ‘Chen Zhen’. His works ‘Painted Skin’ and ‘Ip Man’ last year both reached ￥100m in box office. He’s now one of the most sought after action stars in in the world.”
The ￥100m Acting Trio
The stellar cast also features three actors in the “￥100m dollar club”. With “If You Are The One” and “Look For A Star” accumulating￥500m in box office, Shu Qi has easily won over the audience. Donnie Yen has peaked￥400m box office with “Painted Skin” and “Ip Man”. Last but not least, Huang Bo has also joined the club with “Crazy Racer”. With all three stars collaborating at the first time, it will surely spark enough chemistry on screen.
Gordon Chan predicts box office of ￥300m
Gordon Chan created an unprecedented milestone in action film with “First of Fury” 15 years ago. Jet Li’s pragmatic action style was revolutionary.
When asked if “The Legend of Chen Zhen” is a remake, Gordon Chan stated that, “Chen Zhen is a Chinese Superhero, we hope to re-imagine him for this generation of moviegoers. This film will bring you an all-new Chen Zhen.” Regarding the box office, Chan believed with all these top-grossing directors and cast on board, “￥300m shouldn’t be a problem.”
Screen Romance with Donnie Yen and Shu Qi
Gordon Chan revealed that Donnie Yen and Shu Qi’s characters would have an intriguing romance on screen, and all three leads would be leading “double lives”. This complicated love triangle would be one of the film’s highlights. “This will be a new challenge for Andrew Lau and me,” said Gordon Chan.
The All-new Hero
When asked about the detailed plot, Andrew Lau remained mum. “One thing is certain, that our Chen Zhen would be a ‘superhero’. He’ll save the city single-handedly.” The film will also adopt the latest visual effects to recreate the historic era.
To conclude the press conference, the cast and crew of “The Legend of Chen Zhen” were on stage to bang the massive drum, signaling the making of a blockbuster. |
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