 |
| Shifu Yanzi Shi (left) and actor/producer Jason Ninh Cao (right) smile in attendance for the East Winds Film Festival on November 1 to promote Iron Monk on Indiegogo |
It’s been a long road for actor Jason Ninh Cao, four years into developing his latest milestone effort in film, Iron Monk. A story cultivated in Buddhist philosophy with authentic martial arts action sequences and a thrilling story, the film has been a team effort with Cao leading the way along debut director Mat Sunderland, and their lead of choice, 34th generation Shaolin monk and kung fu master Shifu Yanzi Shi in the title role. A sample of this can be seen in a trailer shot several years ago as a concept for what awaits in what has been an otherwise hopeful feature-length presentation, which, thanks to studio limitations and hinderances, has further contributed to the film’s languishing state.
Hence, a crowdfunder was launched a month ago kicking off the events at the third-annual Shaolin Cultural Festival in London with the hopes of now raising funds on Indiegogo to help gain further momentum through online monetary support. However, the campaign is way far behind where it needs to be with just less than a month left and on-going. Nevertheless, funding continues as well as publicity, with Cao, Sunderland, the Shifu and others on hand this past weekend at the East Winds Film Festival to discuss the film and its progress, and on the following Tuesday, an announcement was made via Twitter that the production is now aiming for a May 2015 start date.
There is no release date set yet as things are still early, although the production is aiming for a three-part trilogy pending the hopeful success of the first. Mark Pallis is providing the script which will center on the Shifu‘s debut role as a troubled ex-Shaolin Monk living quietly in London’s Chinatown who befriends and helps an impulsive young British shopkeeper, only to be reluctantly drawn into conflict with a vicious and incorrigible Triad gang that will force him to either face his past and fight, or die. Cao and the Shifu will be joined by actress Zara Phythian, actors Silvio Simac, Dave Wong and Mark Strange, co-star/action director Vincent Wang, and actor and UFC fighter Alex Reid.
Phythian, Sunderland, Wang and Reid can currently be seen in their own video confessionals in support of the brand new film, which you can view just below the East Winds Film Festival announcement video. If you haven’t checked out the Indiegogo page, feel free to do so where you will more info on how to donate to Iron Monk, and all the available perks listed in exchange for your generosity.
H/T: Jason Ninh Cao