Director Zhang Yimou's partner producer Zhang Weiping said they were still working on the script for the long-awaited project with Jackie Chan and they might even ask Jet Li to join the cast as well. Zhang Weiping said this film would show a completely new Jackie Chan and would not be another Jackie Chan comedy. Jackie Chan is very excited by the project but Jet Li has said he would not do any more martial art films unless he finds a really good script. Both of them said they had been looking for an opportunity to work in the same film.
Originally posted by Dustypenned by Robert Mark Kamen (Kiss of the Dragon, The Karate Kid). oh dear god.. that cant be good..
http://jetli.com/jet/index.php?s=work&ss=projects&p=jackiechan^That's probably what you are speaking of.
I think they'd be fun to watch together though 🙂
Peter Jackson sought for Chan-Li project
by Mark Pollard
2006.08.14
China-based newspaper Star Daily reports that Peter Jackson is being sought as director for an upcoming Jackie Chan-Jet Li movie project. According to Monkeypeaches, the news source cites an anonymous insider for the tip. Jet Li has also reportedly been offered $9 million for his participation. But wait, there's more.
In an earlier posting, Monkeypeaches also cited The Beijing News for carrying an article on a likely story for the Chan-Li project. It appears to be inspired by China's classic fable Journey to the West. In a twist on the original story, screenwriter John Fusco (Hildago) has a teenage boy in present-day New York with a passion for kung fu movies whisked away to ancient China after picking up a magic cudgel from a pawnshop owner. The cudgel belongs to the Monkey King and in an effort to find a way home the boy searches for the imprisoned anti-hero to free him from his long confinement at the hands of the God of the Heavens. In doing so, the boy learns about the true meaning of kung fu and the redeemed Monkey King is free to go on his epic journey after helping his rescuer to get back to his own time.
The current rumor is that Li will play the Monkey King himself while Chan will play “Lan Caihe,” one of the Eight Immortals who aids the boy in his quest.
The film is reportedly being jointly produced on both sides of the Pacific by Casey Silver Productions, Relativity Media and Shanghai Film Studios. Bill Badalato (Around the World in 80 Days) is attached as one of the producers.
A time-traveling Journey to the West screen adaptation isn’t a new idea. In 1995, Stephen Chow (Kung Fu Hustle) played a reincarnation of the Monkey King who, having stepped out of time in present day Hong Kong, reluctantly goes back to fulfill his destiny in the entertaining two-part, comedy adventure series A Chinese Odyssey. Six years later Russell Wong (Romeo Must Die) starred as the Monkey King along with Bai Ling in The Lost Empire, a poorly-received network TV movie that followed an American journalist’s trip through time where he frees the Monkey King and fights by his side.
Jackie Chan is presently promoting his latest completed film, Rob-B-Hood, an action comedy scheduled for release in Asia in September. The action star is also getting ready to step into a third Rush Hour movie with returning co-star Chris Tucker.
Jet Li is just as busy with the U.S. release of his Huo Yuanjia kung fu biopic Fearless coming to theaters Sept. 22nd and his next feature, Rogue, already in post-production and slated for release in 2007.
Val Sinckler talks with Jet Li about his film "Fearless" and a little about the "Jet Li and Jackie Chan" movie.
Originally posted by MildPossession
I thought Jet Li isn't going to make any more films... he apparently said the film he is making now/just made is the last one.
Originally posted by lordofwar
Jet's young enough but Jackie's getting a bit old.
Jackie does act like a bit of a goofball up there on the movie screen. It's more due to the characters that he plays and in which movies he acts in. Nowadays, he's just asked to do comedies, so you can't really blame him for that. Oh, the characters he always plays are one s who's fathers were killed and the protaganist is now seeking revenge.
I think that a Jet Li/Jackie Chan movie would be great. I personally think that Jet Li is the better martial artist, and it would be difficult to give the world's two most famous Kung Fu movie stars an equal part and keep the audience pleased.
According to Variety and The Hollywood Reporter, “The Forbidden Kingdom” has been picked as the title for the formerly untitled J&J Project. It is probably inspired by “The Forbidden City”, the commonly known English name of the former imperial palace complex in Beijing. Don't know why it is referred as "Kings of Kung Fu". Lionsgate has acquired the distribution rights, with Weinstein Co., in the US (also include Canada?) Lionsgate’s UK branch will distribute it in the UK and Weinstein Co. will release it in Spain, France and Latin America. Relativity Media, which financed the project, will handle the international sales (excluding east Asia?). The reports confirm Yuen Wo-Ping’s (Fearless, The Matrix trilogy, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) role as the action director and identify Peter Pau (The Promise, Perhaps Love, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) as the director of cinematography. Shooting will start on May 2 at an unknown location in China.
www.variety.com/article/VR1117962809.html?categoryid=13&cs=1
www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3ib191236ae685199e59a8d04694bcdbd2