I like that Zhang is getting more screentime nowadays. He’s been an eye-catcher in Wong Kar Wai’s The Grandmaster and Ip Man 3 as of late, and if you’re not tired of him yet, the good news is he’ll be back in stellar form once more, and sporting blonde hair no less, in Jonathan Li’s newest film, The Brink, from Hong Kong-based Sun Entertainment Culture and Sil-Metropole Organization
Photos are now surfacing from the production through Chinese media following the film’s announcement at the Hong Kong Filmart back in March, which reunites Zhang with Soi Cheang and action director Nicky Li following last year’s S.P.L. 2: A Time For Consequences featuring Zhang’s kinetic performance as a corrupt prison warden opposite Tony Jaa and Wu Jing. This time and among the film’s other ‘firsts’, Zhang will be the one wearing the badge in his first cop role for a story centered on a relentless detective in pursuit of fishermen smuggling gold. Through this and with respect to the film’s Chinese title, the theme of the film will focus on how gold baits people into ursurping the “wild beasts” within us.
Cheang, now in line to helm the third installments of S.P.L. and The Monkey King franchises, is producing the film with Paco Wong. Zhang and Yue are joined by a cast that includes Wild City co-star, actor Shawn Yue in the role of a superstitious criminal. Also starring are actress Janice Man from the upcoming release of Cold War 2, Gordon Lam of Firestorm fame, and Yue’s fellow From Vegas To Macau 2 co-star and longtime Zhang cohort, actor and martial artist Yue Wu from Police Story 2013, with whom fans can expect some superb screenfighting opposite Zhang. Some of the film’s more ambitious sequences may reportedly involve underwater fight scenes and a robbery during a typhoon.
The 100 million yuan film will mark Li’s directorial debut following a resumé with credits aplenty working as assistant director with the likes of Cheang and filmmaker Jeff Lau. The film will release at some point between now and 2017, so check out the latest one-sheet below for more info and stay tuned for further updates!
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Native New Yorker. Lover of all things pizza, chocolate, pets, and good friends. Karaoke hero. Left of center. Survivor. Fond supporter of cult, obscure and independent cinema - especially fond of Asian movies and global action cinema. Author of the bi-weekly Hit List. Founder and editor of Film Combat Syndicate. Still, very much, only human.
