Director Zhao Tianyu is making some headway this week with the unveiling of some illustrious new character poster art for the pending release of Desen International Media’s upcoming fantasy action epic, Zhong Kui: Snow Girl and the Dark Crystal. The film arrival next year comes in the good graces of being one of China’s first films to embrace technological advancements in 3D filmmaking and motion capture, thanks to the presence of Oscar-winning cinematographer Peter Pau working the lens and producing, along with the folks over at Weta Workshop and Macrograph, collectivel known for dishing out their best film magic in a handful of Marvel flicks, in addition to Avatar, The Hobbit Saga, Dredd 3D and Journey To The West: Conquering The Demoms.
Shot in scenic locations in Mainland China, Zhong Kui: Snow Girl and the Dark Crystal depicts the story of Chinese legendary anti-hero Zhong Kui, a young man endowed with mysterious powers who is forced into a battle among the realms of Heaven, Earth and Hell in the course of his attempt to save his countrymen and the woman he loves.
The posters here don’t give away much of anything, but they do follow suit with that of other films in recent years, providing a conceptual glimpse of what Asian movie goers can expect from this latest ambitious epic from overseas. At any rate, with other films like Derek Yee’s The Sword Master 3D and Jet Li’s forthcoming appearance in Fengshen Bang not too far behind, a film like this couldn’t have come at a better time, so it’ll be great to see what we get in the teasers and trailers that await, in addition to what the film itself delivers on and after its Chinese Lunar New Year kickoff on February 19, 2015.
Chen Kun (Painted Skin, 1 & 2) stars in the film, as well as serving as co-financier through his own company, K. Pictures, with Beijing Enlight and Wu’s Entertainmemt also financing. The actor is joined by leading lady Li Bingbing (Transformers 4, Detective Dee), along with Winston Chao (Eat Drink Man Woman, The Wedding Banquet), Yang Zishan (So Young), Bao Bei-er (So Young) and Summer Jikejunyi (Outcast), with An Xiao Fen also producing, and Jacky Yeung (Ip Man, Ip Man 2) serving as action choreographer. Village Roadshow Pictures Asia and Warner Bros. Pictures are serving as co-financiers and co-producers of the film with international distribution currently set for select English and Asian territories.
