Asian Film Strike on Twitter scored some curious eyes earlier this week with the teaser poster reveal for Dragon And Tiger Struggle. Gary Mak (Undying Heart, SDU: Sex Duties Unit) is set to the direct the pic which is on its way to production, according to the latest CCTV6 updates via YouTube.
Christmas will undoubtedly come a bit earlier for Donnie Yen fans looking toward advance screenings this month for Wilson Yip’s Ip Man 4: The Finale. Expect some heavy-handed press by then with some of the film’s own stars touring select territories to promote the film, including the ‘Man’ himself in what he now elucidated will be his final kung fu movie according to his statements to South China Morning Post in the past week as of this article.
It’s taken a bit of time to come to, but the long-awaited U.S. release of Jeffrey Lau’s martial arts ensemble romp, Kung Fu League is officially gearing up for a Blu-ray Combo, DVD and Digital release on September 17 from Well Go USA. To update, we also have an official trailer now up and running since this article was published five days ago.
Next month, QQ’s VIP subscribers will see a little more of actor Danny Chan in Fighting King Kong from director Ye Yongjian. Chan stars as Guo Zhengdong, a legendary hero bent on saving China and protecting Southern martial arts through learning a stronger style known as the “King Kong Walking Method”.
They say “ask and you shall receive”…
Notable Kung Fu Hustle producer Jeff Lau has since entered the fray with his next directorial feat, Kung Fu League. The project has been teases a headlining crowd of folkloric film heroes and now we have a first trailer this week. I gotta say, it’s wackier than I predicted and looks equally ridiculous, save for any hopes of this film being more film than fan service.
I suppose it’s mainly because there isn’t a full synopsis available which is why this trailer is so daunting apart from what we already know. Alas, Vincent Zhao stakes his claim as the venerable Wong Fei Hung next to Andy On who takes the mantle as Huo Yuanjia, Danny Chan lending more to the typecast as Bruce Lee persona Chen Zhen, and Dennis To reprising as Ip Man from Herman Yau’s 2010 iteration of the Wing Chun grandmaster…
As for this trailer, well… it’s basically signaling fan service and some of which is quite laughable. Be it in a good or bad way is totally in the eye of the beholder but with a trailer like this, at least tentatively, it’s hard to imagine this will be anything more than a kung fu brain relaxant for the popcorn MA crowd. Hopefully it will be fun too.
Lau has more going for himself later in the year with Assassins And The Missing Gold and fantasy adventure, Nehza. As for Kung Fu League, well… check the trailer below and judge accordingly.
PLANO, TEXAS. (August 21, 2017) – Danny Chan (Ip Man 3, Kung Fu Hustle) returns in the final 10 episodes chronicling the life of the incomparable Bruce Lee, whose legacy continues to inspire new generations LEGEND OF BRUCE LEE: VOLUME THREE debuts on DVD October 3 from Well Go USA Entertainment. The three-disc set follows Lee as he fights for his dream of becoming the first Chinese martial arts film star to achieve worldwide fame. LEGEND OF BRUCE LEE: VOLUME THREE also stars Michelle Lang, Mark Dacascos, Wang Luoyang, Tim Storms, Ray Park and Michael Jai White.
While in high school, with mostly British students in Hong Kong while Britain resided/ruled at the time, Bruce saw the discrimination against Chinese students thinking they were not “good enough” like the Brit students were. He decides to excel in order to prove that Chinese people are also competent and talented. Winning a Cha-Cha contest with childhood friend Qin Xiao Man (Xiao-Xiao Bian), he becomes the source of annoyance by schoolmate Blair Lewis (Ted Duran), a talented boxer. His disdain for the Chinese people puts him and Bruce in many confrontations and Bruce gets his ass handed to him time and again until he learns boxing himself and winds up on the school’s boxing team. The rivalry between the two leads up to a championship where Bruce wins against Blair. And from that moment Blair knew Bruce could achieve anything. He sets out to teach Bruce about three-time champion David Cafeld (Kszysztof Kristofer Wodejszo), setting aside rivalries and becoming friends.
Be on the look out for former Wushu athlete-turned rising action star Max Zhang in the year ahead. He’s made a killing in Soi Cheang’s S.P.L. 2: A Time For Consequences and Wilson Yip’s Ip Man 3, the latter for which its franchise is now aiming at a spin-off for the role he played opposite leading man Donnie Yen, and will soon be seen in Fruit Chan’s Made In Kowloon, and Jonathan Li’s The Brink.
That’s probably more than enough for you at this point while, suffice it to say, it doesn’t end there, and with news on a new $17 million dollar action thriller on the horizon from director Jeffrey Lau (Metallic Attraction: Kung Fu Cyborg, A Chinese Odyssey trilogy) for Ten-Ton Assassin. Cameras reportedly begin rolling in March with Zhang and real-life wife, actress Ada Choi starring as a divorced couple who reunite to look for their kidnapped son.
The two apparently won’t be alone in presenting the film’s fitting action millieu with the presence of the recent League Of Gods and One Night Only co-star, actor Andy On, and Zhang’s fellow Ip Man 3 co-star Danny Chan. That’s all the information available at present while we await more on Zhang’s currently listed prospects, so check back soon and stay excited!
H/T: Asian Film Strike
I remember first seeing the trailer to the CCTV-1 broadcast of the Shannon Lee produced series, The Legend Of Bruce Lee a bit less than a decade ago. Having already been a fan of director Rob Cohen’s Hollywood treatment, I wasn’t too impressed and I guess because it felt a bit like excess for there to be another pseudo-fictional telling of the life and legend of the Jeet Kune Do founder and martial arts film star.
I think nowadays, however, my perspective has changed a bit since then and particularly considering that lead actor Danny Chan reprised the role opposite Donnie Yen in the hit film, Ip Man 3, it’s understandable that fans would probably take a ceremonial liking to this show which casts a number of well-knowns and through a showcase of various styles of martial arts to interpret how Lee adapts to win his battles. It’s a martial arts series and sells, for certain, but there’s definitely a continued base among Bruce Lee fans who will love anything and everything Lee-related, good or bad, and either two of the choices will be up to those who choose to purchase their copy of Well Go USA’s forthcoming Volume One DVD issue of the series on November 1.
PLANO, TEXAS. (October 20, 2016) – Danny Chan (Ip Man 3, Kung Fu Hustle) brings the legendary figure of Bruce Lee and his incredible story to life in 10 action-packed episodes when LEGEND OF BRUCE LEE: VOLUME ONE debuts on DVD November 1 from Well Go USA Entertainment. The life story of the renowned martial arts icon follows him from Hong Kong to America and back again. LEGEND OF BRUCE LEE: VOLUME ONE also stars Michelle Lang, Gary Daniels, Ted Duran, Natalia Dzyublo, Wang Luoyong, Hazen McIntyre, Ray Park, Tim Storms, Michael Jai White, Traci Ann Wolfe, Mark Dacascos and Ash Gordey.
Synopsis:Young Bruce Lee (Danny Chan) has no interest in studying and is obsessed with martial arts. After losing a street fight, he resolves to master Kung Fu under the tutelage of Master Ye Wen. Targeted by street gangs after standing up for the weak, Bruce has no other option but to leave Hong Kong for a strange and far off land: America. At the University of Washington Bruce starts teaching martial arts and befriends an American girl named Linda (Michelle Lang). An extraordinary performance at a national karate championship launches Bruce, his film career, and his Kung Fu school on the path to international renown.
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