AICN and many others are pointing to a Channel News Asia piece confirming that Stephen Chow (Shaolin Soccer, Kung Fu Hustle, CJ7) is writing, will direct and will presumably star in a film called TAI CHI, a remake of the Bruce Lee film THE WAY OF THE DRAGON.
There are only a handful of people who could pull off a Bruce Lee remake and Stephen Chow is one of them. As a filmmaker, he has great sense in action, comedy, wonder and emotion. His films take place in worlds that are absolutely nonsensical, yet they remain anchored to reality by the characters. He’s got this way of making characters believable, identifiable and utterly demanding of our interest, if not our out right sympathy. And if your characters are solid, you can get away with just about anything you want. Stephen Chow pushes this concept to the limits. We accept the crazy settings of his films because we are in love with the people who live inside them. Imagine if Charlie Chaplin had starred in The Matrix trilogy, directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet. That is pretty much what a Stephen Chow film is like. Oh, and Chow is also a a highly capable actor in his own right.
The film is budgeted for $60 million and is scheduled to begin shooting in June. Anne Hathaway and Jack Black are set to star.
You read that right. Anne Hathaway and Jack Black.
While this is very cool news, the trades have yet to confirm it. Normally, any film with Anne Hathaway and Jack Black is going to get coverage from the trades, but neither Variety nor The Hollywood Reporter has said anything yet. I would treat this as just a rumor for now. You know how the fanboys can be (wink).
In the meantime, enjoy some Stephen Chow clippy and trailery goodness.
Here’s the trailer for SHAOLIN SOCCER.
The fantastic “Chinese Harp” scene from KUNG FU HUSTLE.
And a “Best of” reel with a lot of his earlier stuff.
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