I have pretty much lost count as to the amount of films international action star Donnie Yen is racking up on these days. It feels like he is planning on staying as busy as possible for the next two years, laying out more and more movie announcements every week. And although today’s report from Deadline may not count as an official announcement, there is plenty of reason for this to possibly exist somewhere down the line.
Mike Fleming Jr. writes:
“Right after my Deadline Hollywood colleague Pete Hammond moderated a Weinstein Company panel this morning on Big Eyes, the film that Tim Burton will direct with Christoph Waltz and Amy Adams, I moderated another on Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: The Green Destiny, a sequel to the 2000 film that won the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar, and at the time became the biggest grossing foreign language film in America. I was joined onstage by producer David Thwaites, Harvey Weinstein, actor Donnie Yen, director and martial arts choreography legend Yuen Wo Ping (he handled action choreography of the Ang Lee-directed original Crouching Tiger). Also with us was exec producer Anthony Wong, who translated for the director. Michelle Yeoh was seen on a screen, after being set to reprise her role. Scripted by John Fusco, this film is derived from Iron Knight, Silver Vase, the fifth book in the Wang Dulu’s Crane Iron Pentalogy. Fusco borrowed from some of the other books, but made the final title his primary focus. Weinstein acknowledged he courted Yen very hard to make his first English language movie with TWC (this will be shot in both English and Mandarin), and wasted no time setting the stage for a followup. Noting that Martin Scorsese helped him get rights to Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai, Weinstein enlisted both Yen and Yuen Wo Ping to at least have a conversation with him about it.”
Martin Scorsese (pictured above) is an excellent filmmaker, having worked on films such as RAGING BULL, TAXI DRIVER and GOODFELLAS, and his latest producing credit for television series, BOARDWALK EMPIRE. That said, even though it is not yet known if Martin would direct it, for a filmmaker of his stature who is eager to take on a classic film property from by the late-great award-winning Akira Kurosawa is very exciting, and a bold reminder of just how memorable and successful Seven Samurai has been to this day.
Co-written, edited and directed by Kurosawa, and released in 1954, SEVEN SAMURAI tells the story of a samurai who is sought by farmers to help defend their village against bandits with the help of six more skilled ronin. The film is regarded as one of the most filmically and culturally influential and memorable films in the history of Japanese cinema.
Kurosawa is also responsible for other classic movies including YOJIMBO, RASHOMON and KAGEMUSHA: THE SHADOW WARRIOR. Other titles based on his work include the 1996 Bruce Willis crime thriller, LAST MAN STANDING, the 2004 animated series release of SAMURAI 7, and the 2013 TV debut of Yasuo Tsuruhashi’s thriller, STRAY DOG.
Kurosawa passed away in Tokyo on September 6, 1998. He was 88 years old. You can find out more info on Kurosawa’s work at the Criterion Collection official website.
Master Yuen is set to direct CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON 2: THE GREEN DESTINY, rejoining Yen and action star Michelle Yeoh in Beijing next year.Deadline also states the film will be shot in both English and Mandarin. Yen recently joined the croud over at the Cannes Film Festival to promote some of his upcoming films, including Iceman Cometh 3D, and the long-awaited crime thriller, Special ID.
