Police Story 2013 and the Iceman Cometh remake are 2 of the most highly-anticipated films that are coming out this year. Thankfully, both of them had posters released today. Check them out.
Here is the one for Police Story 2013, which I think is a drastic change in tone for a Jackie Chan film.
I can tell that both films are going for something different. The Iceman Cometh remake is clearly going for the “epic” story while Police Story is more personal and gritty. I think that both films will have a big impact in different ways, and hopefully we’ll see a trailer for them in the coming weeks.
It was said back in April of last year that Donnie Yen was going to reprise his role as the title character in the film, Ip Man 3 and Wilson Yip would also be back to direct. But now, according to a Hong Kong magazine, the film has lost the two men who are responsible for bringing the film franchise to life, Donnie Yen and Wilson Yip.
Director Yip was not happy with the film’s lack of funding and finance and decided to leave the project and he has been replaced with producer Raymond Wong’s son, Edmond. Donnie Yen soon followed after the director’s departure saying that the film would not work withouth Wilson Yip’s involvement. Yen and Yip have worked together on several films including their first outing together, SPL.
Ip Man 3 has been struggling to get funding from Chinese companies who are unwilling to finance the film. Raymond Wong and Wilson Yip obviously disagreed on the film’s progress as Wong wanted to keep going as scheduled but Yip thought that without the proper funding, the film would be a much lesser effort.
With the duo’s extremely busy schedules conflicting with the film’s shooting schedule set to begin in July and the film producers’ intentions on releasing the film in 3D, it’s very unlikely that the duo will come back to sign onto the film. Raymond Wong’s daughter, Alvina, said to the possible scheduling conflicts, “We are a listed company, and we signed a contract with the investors. No matter who is in the cast, we will start filming.”
Obviously, this is a massive blow to fans of the Ip Man film series. Knowing that Donnie Yen and Wilson Yip were planning on coming back and now they will no longer be a part of the film is a major disappointment. We already know that Wilson Yip has been replaced with producer Raymond Wong’s son, Edmond, to direct the film but who will replace Donnie? Casting the lead role is going to be a huge task and whoever they cast, that person has some major big shoes to fill and unfortunately, will be compared to the epic talents of Donnie and his performances in the first two films.
What do you think? Are you still excited to see this film or is Ip Man 3 now out the window for you? Let us know in the comments!
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Donnie Yens 3D remake of the Iceman Cometh has had its fair share of turbulent times. The film has gone over-budget as well as well over schedule, and there are no signs of the film coming to a halt. Producers are looking to figure out how to make up the costs, and there is now news that the film may be split into 2 parts.
Impact Online states that the split will let the story be told on an epic scale, with the second half finishing up around Christmastime. The crew will be hard at work while the first film is being shown at theaters, not taking a break from production.
I can see how this is a smart move for those involved on the film, but how in the world are they going to have enough story to carry 2 films? The first film was less than 2 hours long. I can understand if more time is needed for effects in the film, but I’m really worried that it will be really apparent that this is one movie stretched out into 2. Plus, what happens if the first half flops?
With Special Identity still in legal limbo, I guess some Donnie is better than no Donnie. What do you guys think? Is splitting the film into 2 a justified idea?
On May 1st, Jackie Chan, Donnie Yen, and Ivy Zhuyun had dinner together in Beijing.
While that’s all we know about what happened on the day, I thought it would be fun to speculate what were doing. Was it a casual dinner out? A movie conference? A glasses convention!?
Regardless of what it was for, it looks like everyone was having a good time. I just find it hard to believe that Jackie and Donnie happened to have time in their schedules to randomly run into each other during dinner. They were planning to work on Special Identity together, but that didn’t pan out. Maybe they were discussing something new, who knows?
I’ll let you know if I find out anything else about this dinner, but let this one just be a fun bit of news for now.
After the success of Rush Hour 2, Jackie teamed up with his other movie screen partner for a second attempt at winning Hollywood audiences over. Shanghai Knights brought Owen Wilson back into the mix and sent the pair to England, where they would both be fish out of water. Given the close proximity in both story and release, Shanghai Knights had a lot going against it, but would the action and charm win everyone over?
The story for Shanghai Knights is pretty simple, yet deep enough to remain interesting. It gives Jackie’s character a certain level of depth that he didn’t have in the previous film while expanding on the relationship between him and Roy. The only thing that really isn’t too great is the sense of danger from the villain. Rathbone is not a threatening being, and it’s apparent he’s just there to move the story along. However, there are several great nods to British culture in the film, proving that a lot of thought went into how the story moves along.
One of the best things about Shanghai Knights is the characters. Everyone has a certain charm to them, and even the little rascal Charlie is likeable. Of course, the main stars have the best moments, and Owen Wilson’s comedic timing for this film is easily one of the highlights. It’s easy to see that Jackie isn’t as comfortable with the comedy of the film, but he has a better opportunity to show his funny side in ways that the Rush Hour franchise didn’t.
Action/Choreography
While the comedy is top-notch, the action isn’t taking a back seat either. Every fight in Shanghai Knights is creative and fun to watch. From the “Singing in the Rain” fight to the one with the Gatling gun, nothing feels retreaded. Each fight has a set scenario around it, and it appears that every possible outcome was thought out. The final battle was a little bit of a letdown, but the film is still marks above other Hollywood movies that Jackie has created.
Own it, Watch it, Try it, or Skip it?
I honestly think that Shanghai Knights is better than the original, which is a rare thing to see. The comedy is good, the fights are solid, and there are tons of cameos. In fact, it’s one of the few films where Jackie Chan and Donnie Yen face off. While Shanghai Knights didn’t get the same level of attention of success that the Rush Hour movies did, I still think this film is one that everyone should check out for originality in both action and comedy. If you haven’t given it a chance, you are missing out.
Donnie Yen’s remake of the Iceman Cometh has had its share of speed bumps, but production is still going along. Donnie recently wrapped filming on the Chingbai Mountain, which the government gave the crew permission to shut down the mountain to prevent tourists from visiting the location for 9 days. Yup, that’s what Donne has the power to do!
Check out this video covering Donnie on the mountain:
And also Donnie vlogging on-site as well:
It apparently takes about 2 hours to go up or down the mountain because of the elevation and number of people involved. This scenes has a very grand-scale battle, and should look impressive when everything is put together.
Donnie states that he will be going to Beijing for more filming. Here are some non-ice-related Iceman images!
I enjoyed the original film quite a bit, and I’m have high hopes that the remake lives up to everyone’s expectations. I don’t know how the 3d will work with the film, but I’ll save that skepticism for when I see a trailer. At least everyone is giving it their all!
It was announced a few weeks ago that Donnie Yen would be starting a production company called Super Hero Films. The company would be searching for new talent, but that doesn’t mean Yen will be taking a backseat. In fact, 2 films have been announced for the star.
The first is called The Master and pairs Yen up with Motorway director Soi Cheang. Yen will play a kung fu master who is targeted by a gun shop owner. This film may be the same as one called Enter the Master, where Yen was to play a similar role with Nicholas Tse in the cast as well.
The second film is titled Dragon City and will be handled by Gallants director Derek Kwok. It takes place in the 70′s and has Yen playing the role of a cop who battles corruption and crime within the walled limits of a walled-in Kowloon city. No other details have been revealed, but both films are scheduled to start filming next year.
Now, I’m excited to hear about these concepts and ideas, but I really hope that Yen finds new talent like he stated. I’m guessing he’s going to be working on some dream projects for now, but surely he’s not planning to be in every film. Yen’s got a busy few years ahead of him, and I hope that quality doesn’t suffer from the amount of films that are released.
