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-- Shaw Brothers Film Company
Re-emerges, with Wu Jing Set to Star in Drunken Monkey --
Shaw Brothers Organisation, which had not been involved in the film industry for
the past 10 years, shall be returning to the movie industry, with Drunken Monkey
as their first project. After having surveyed various film companies in
Mainland, Shaw Brothers decided to team up with Zhejiang "Zhong-Ying Zhe-Ying
Jin-Gu" Film Workshop. In this year, Shaw Brothers Organisation shall be working
with Zhejiang Film Workshop in Mainland China to shoot all their movies and more
than 100 hrs of drama serials and Drunken Monkey - Zui-4 Hou-1 - heralds the
start of their collaboration.
Drunken Monkey is a kungfu pian directed by Hong Kong martial arts choreographer
Lau Kar Leung, with Wu Jing playing the main role. The story centres around
pugilistic feuds, clan vengeance, is filled with turbulences and possesses Hong
Kong's signature humour. Lau Kar Leung comes from a martial arts family, and his
father, Lau Jaam (Liu Zhan), was a student of Wong Fei Hong's disciple. Lau Kar
Leung has directed hundreds of movies and acted in over 10 Wong Fei Hong series.
In 1975, Lau Kar Leung officially signed up as Shaw Brothers' director and has
since then directed 19 martial arts movies, and was proclaimed as one of the
most influential figures in shaping the history of Hong Kong Film industry. With
Lau Kar Leung as Drunken Monkey's director, Drunken Monkey can be said to be a
true-blue kungfu pian. Producer Huang Lei Guang revealed that over HK$100
Million are spent in this production, which will begin shooting in Zhejiang in
the middle of this month.
Youth Times, 7 March, Reporter Han Bei
--Shaw Brothers teaming up with Zhejiang Film
Workshop to produce Drunken Monkey--
Shaw Brothers Organisation, headed by Shao Yi Fu, has once been hailed in Asia
as Movie Kingdom for having produced over thousand movies. In the past 10 years,
owing to the decline of Hong Kong film industry, they had switched their
investments on elsewhere. Recently, the Hong Kong movie industry is showing
signs of recovery. Foreseeing the potential of the market, Shaw Brothers
Organisation decides to return to film making and Drunken Monkey is their first
such project. Lau Kar Leung shall be directing this action comedy starring Wu
Jing.
Qianjiang Evening News, 7 March 2002, Reporter Chai Hong Bing
--Kungfu Youngster Makes a Leap
Towards the Silver Screen, Invited by Shaw Brothers to join Drunken Monkey --
Shooting of Drunken Monkey movie will begin soon. Drunken Monkey is produced by
Hong Kong's Shaw Brothers Film Studio with a production budget of over HK$100
Million (US$13 Million). Wu Jing, the lead star of Drunken Monkey, will be
reporting in Shanghai on
8 March. Drunken Monkey will be in production for
two and a half months. In the phone interviewed, when Wu Jing talked about
having a great time in his house during the spring festivity (Lunar New Year),
and that his face had become rounder, he complained, "Everyone was joking that I
was getting plumber. How could it be? My weight is under 70 kg, and the people
in the gym found me to be under-weight." Still, Wu Jing would routinely go to
the gym, tone his body for two hours, and practise martial arts daily.
Wu Jing
had always been cast in period dramas with either a bald head or wearing a wig.
Drunken Monkey is the first time he gets to appear in a modern look. Drunken
Monkey is about a "man" of the third century who roams about the pugilistic
world. Wu Jing is particularly excited about his role in Drunken Monkey and
greatly wishes that his appearance would look more macho. In the recent days, he
has been struggling to let his hair grow longer, and he is not even shaving his
chin, hoping to grow a beard to let the audience feel something different.
However,
Wu Jing, who looks like a kid, is in no way childish. Instead, he is loyal, and
very kind and understanding to his parents and the weak. Majority of the
productions who had worked with Wu Jing knows his one phrase character. Should
they complained about limited production budget and asked if it's possible for
the lead actor to lower his fee? Wu Jing, without any hesitation, would nod his
head. Sometimes, when his production wages have been delayed once and again, Wu
Jing is loathe to chase after them for the payments. While his income is not
high, Wu Jing still bought a three-room, two-hall house in the city area of
Beijing's for his parents as that place's travelling around there is more
convenient and there are shopping centres within a stone's throw. Beside giving
a some of money to his parents for each of his productions, Wu Jing is also
adopting two poor kids without letting them know of his identity, secretly
taking care of their well-being.
United
Daily, 4 March 2002, Reporter Liu Zi Feng
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Drunken Monkey News Compilation