Huayi has high hopes for hefty slate

---

---

Industry News

This time last year Chinese film conglomerate Huayi Brothers Media Corporation 華誼兄弟傳媒股份有限公司 unveiled a production slate that included a trio of sequels. This year it is unwrapping a line-up full of prequels.

The company — which saw its films gross RMB1.7 billion ($258 million) or more than 15% of the overall Chinese box office — announced current year productions by directors FENG Xiaogang 馮小剛, TSUI Hark 徐克, Tom LIN 林書宇, Wuershan 烏爾善, Stephen FUNG 馮德倫, Doze NIU 鈕承澤, PANG Ho-cheung 彭浩翔, Wing SHYA 夏永康 and Tony CHAN 陳國輝.

While details of record-breaker Feng's next film remain so sketchy that not even a title was revealed, Huayi said that it would make prequels to Hot Summer Days 全城熱戀熱辣辣 (2010), Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame 狄仁杰之通天帝國 (2010) and Painted Skin 畫皮 (2008). (Love in Space 全球熱戀, the forerunner of Hot Summer Days, was unveiled last week with Fruit CHAN 陳果 returning as producer.)

Detective Dee 2 狄仁杰前傳 will involve a younger Dee and shoot in the autumn, with Tsui Hark again the director and Nansun SHI 施南生 as producer. Having last year made Dee, Shi told Film Business Asia that it had been a toss-up whether a prequel or a sequel should shoot next.

While the first Painted Skin was directed by Hong Kong's Gordon CHAN 陳嘉上, the prequel to the fantasy action film, Painted Skin: The Resurrection 畫皮Ⅱ, will be directed by Inner Mongolian director Wuershan, who last year delivered The Butcher, the Chef and the Swordsman 刀見笑 (2010).

Huayi is also putting big budgets of more than RMB100 million ($15 million) each behind a trio of original, non-franchise pictures.

It is backing James Bond-style action adventure Chinese Zodiac 十二生肖 to be directed by Jackie CHAN 成龍 and produced by Stanley TONG 唐季禮. It is also on board Ronny YU 于仁泰's Saving General Yang 一門忠烈之楊家將 which is produced by Raymond WONG 黃浩然; and Stephen Fung's Tai Chi 0 太極之從零開始. Starring Jet LI 李連杰, the Fung project is expected to demonstrate military and civilian uses of Tai Chi.

On a smaller scale are pictures by Monga 艋舺 (2010) director Doze Niu from Taiwan and Hong Kong's Pang Ho-cheung. Niu is readying Love 愛, a romantic drama that spans China and Taiwan, while Pang is setting up his first mainland film, romantic comedy Women Who Know How to Flirt are the Luckiest 會撒嬌的女人最好命. Also on the cards is Starry Starry Night 星空 directed by Tom Lin.

Feng, who last year delivered Aftershock 唐山大地震 (2010) and If You are the One II 非誠勿擾Ⅱ (2010) for Huayi, is expected to shift into pre-production of the new film in July and start shooting from October. While he has previously hinted at a football picture, a return to comedy and even a tribute to Notting Hill, he recently told Chinese media that his next outing will be with a film of the Chongqing bombing, albeit told from a very human perspective. "This is a film that I have been looking forward to for the past 10 years, it's been like a knot in my heart and now its time to make it," he said of the untitled picture at the launch press conference.

Company principals James WANG Zhonglei 王中磊 (pictured) and Dennis WANG Zhongjun 王中軍 dubbed the slate 'Plan H' with the letter standing for Huayi and for high hopes.

---