Bleeding Steel

[GeneChing]

Has Jackie done a Sci-Fy flick before? I can't think of one, but he's done so many films, maybe I'm just forgetting it.


Village Roadshow, China's Heyi Pictures to Co-Produce Jackie Chan's 'Bleeding Steel' (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/village-roadshow-chinas-heyi-pictures-903483)
11:30 PM PDT 6/15/2016 by Patrick Brzeski

http://cdn5.thr.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/landscape_928x523/2015/05/jackie_chan.jpg
Jackie Chan
AP Images

The movie is anticipated to be the biggest budget Chinese production ever to shoot in Australia.
Village Roadshow Pictures Asia and Heyi Pictures will co-produce and co-finance the Jackie Chan sci-fi thriller Bleeding Steel, written and directed by Leo Zhang (Chrysanthemum to the Beast). The announcement was made at the Shanghai International Film Festival Thursday.

Chan leads an all-star cast in a story set in the future, as a hardened special forces agent who fights to protect a young woman with whom he feels a special connection from a sinister criminal gang.

The film is scheduled to begin shooting in July in Sydney, Australia. Bleeding Steel is anticipated to be the biggest budget Chinese production ever to shoot in Australia, the partners said.

“We are thrilled to be working with Heyi Pictures on Bleeding Steel,” said Ellen Eliasoph, President and CEO of Village Roadshow Pictures Asia. “Given Village Roadshow's deep roots in Australia, the film's concept resonates strongly with us; and naturally we are thrilled to be a part of a Jackie Chan production.”

President Liu Kailuo of Heyi Pictures said “As a young film production company with great ambitions, we are delighted to partner with Village Roadshow Pictures Asia on our biggest international project to date. We look forward to working together to help Asia’s most iconic star bring his supercharged magic to one of Asia’s most iconic cities.”

Launched in August 2014, Heyi Pictures is the film production company of Youku Tudou Inc., the Chinese online video company, acquired by e-commerce giant Alibaba Group for $4.8 billion in 2015.



Wasn't Dragon Blade (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?67531-Dragon-Blade) the biggest budget Chinese film? Oh wait, this is the biggest budget Chinese film to shoot in Australia.

[GeneChing]

Chinese filmmakers scout Australia for Jackie Chan's 'Bleeding Steel' (http://en.yibada.com/articles/138469/20160712/jackie-chan-prepares-shoot-bleeding-steel-sydney-chinese-filmmakers-scout.htm)
Mateo Altamirano | Jul 12, 2016 01:02 AM EDT

http://images.en.yibada.com/data/thumbs/full/89664/685/0/0/0/jackie-chan-is-seen-in-a-photobooth-promoting-a-special-screening-of-chinese-zodiac.jpg
Jackie Chan is seen in a photobooth promoting a special screening of 'Chinese Zodiac'. (Photo : Getty Images/Stuart C. Wilson)

"Rush Hour" and "Kung Fu Panda" superstar Jackie Chan is preparing for a major shoot of 'Bleeding Steel' in Sydney while Chinese filmmakers are on the lookout for potential filming locations in Australia.
The film is anticipated to be the largest Chinese production to be shot in Australia in terms of budget, according to The Hollywood Reporter. One of "Bleeding Steel's" long-term objectives is to strengthen the relationship between China and Australia in film production.
This will also include the completion of post-production work of Chinese films in Australia, and not just to have it as a desirable shooting location for filmmakers. The support and organisation for the tour primarily comes from major Australian film bodies and promotion partnerships, including Perfect World Pictures, Ausfilm, and Village Roadshow Pictures Asia.
Heyi Pictures and Village Roadshow Pictures Asia will co-produce Chan's upcoming crime drama, which is scheduled for principal photography this month. According to Ausfilm's chief executive officer Debra Richards, Chinese filmmakers and screenwriters will also have more exciting projects in Australia beyond "Bleeding Steel".
Village Roadshow's president Ellen Eliasoph commented that they are thrilled to be contributing to a film production by Chan, and that the Asian film company has had deep roots in Australia. Moreover, when the actor was still a child, his parents had migrated and settled in Canberra, Australia.
"Bleeding Steel" stars the Hollywood martial-arts actor as a special forces agent protecting a young woman he has feelings for from a sinister criminal syndicate. As of now, other details about the cast are unavailable, but it is rumored to be an ensemble film, which means it will have an all star cast, a report from Variety said.
Chan continues to entertain us over the years in his films with death-defying stunts performed by himself along with cleverly improvised weapons during his martial arts bouts, all with a twist of light-hearted comedy. From his hit Rush Hour with Chris Tucker, which has successfully spawned two sequels and the possibility of a third sequel, to his old classics Drunken Master and The Armour of God, "Bleeding Steel" will surely be another treat for the fans of his work.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0iKKCa7P-fU


"special forces agent protecting a young woman he has feelings for from a sinister criminal syndicate" Well, that's a fresh idea. :rolleyes: Maybe it's the sci-fi angle that'll make it work.

[GeneChing]

Spotted in Sydney: Jackie Chan filming sci-fi thriller Bleeding Steel (http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/movies/spotted-in-sydney-jackie-chan-filming-scifi-thriller-bleeding-steel-20160721-gqaorv.html)
Garry Maddox July 21 2016 - 3:36PM

With Ridley Scott finishing up on Alien: Covenant, another international sci-fi movie has landed in Sydney.

And while Michael Fassbender​ managed to keep a low-profile while shooting the Prometheus sequel, it did not take long for Jackie Chan to emerge on the set of the futuristic sci-fi thriller Bleeding Steel.

What has been called the biggest budget Chinese production to shoot in Australia had the Rush Hour star working in light rain in Moore Park.

Chan, whose prolific career has included more than 150 films, plays a special-forces agent fighting to protect a woman from a criminal gang in his latest.

According to Forbes magazine, he was the world's second-highest paid actor last year, earning $US61 million ($81 million), behind only Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and ahead of Matt Damon, Tom Cruise and Johnny Depp.

Directed by Leo Zhang, best known for a Chinese action comedy called Chrysanthemum to the Beast, Bleeding Steel is also shooting in Taiwan.

The film continues Chan's long association with Australia.

His parents moved from Hong Kong to Canberra when he was seven - he stayed behind to learn acting, singing and martial arts at the China Drama Academy. He later lived briefly in the national capital in the 1970s, working in a restaurant and as a labourer before an offer to star in a Hong Kong movie.

http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/q/a/g/a/d/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gqaorv.png/1469091031820.jpg
Jackie Chan on set of the sci-fi action thriller Bleeding Steel at Moore Park.

Chan also shot the Hong Kong film Mr Nice Guy in Melbourne in 1996.
http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/p/l/4/v/v/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gqaorv.png/1469079366930.jpg
Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan with Chris Tucker in Rush Hour 3.

The city's newest sci-fi movie continues a resurgence of international filmmaking in Sydney that has included Mel Gibson directing the World War II drama Hacksaw Ridge and two animated spin-offs from The Lego Movie - The Lego Batman Movie and The Lego Ninjago Movie. Does Jackie ever stop working?

[GeneChing]

Jumping off the Sydney Opera House? That's crazy even with wires at 62. Gotta luv Jackie. RESPECT!


Jackie Chan Talks Sci-Fi, Love Interests and Jumping Off the Sydney Opera House (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/jackie-chan-talks-sci-fi-915216)
3:32 AM PDT 7/28/2016 by Pip Bulbeck

http://cdn1.thr.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/landscape_928x523/2016/07/jackie_chan_sydney_.jpg
Heyi Pictures

The 62-year-old star is shooting sci-fi actioner 'Bleeding Steel' in Australia.
Jackie Chan is desperate to play a love interest and has put a call out for directors and producers to consider him as the romantic lead in their films.

Speaking in Sydney where his latest actioner, Bleeding Steel, has just started production, the 62-year-old icon partly joked that now he’s in a position to do anything he wants, he wants to do romance.

Chan explained that after an accident forty years ago while filming in Yugoslavia, a number of conditions were put on him.

“No love scenes, no kissing... I couldn’t cut my hair or die in a movie, as Chinese are very superstitious," he said. "So the first movie where I wrote my own script, my character died. Now I do whatever I want, so please hire me to do a love story. A love story is so easy."

Love stories aside, Chan, still insist on doing his own stunts, or at least main set pieces. For Bleeding Steel, he's readying a fight sequence against his nemesis in the film (played by Australian actress Tess Haubrich) that sees them jumping off the roof of the Sydney Opera House, a stunt never before done for a film..

“These kinds of things I still want to do myself,” he says.

After 54 years of flying kicks and jumping through windows, Chan does admits that he puts a little more padding in his shoes, and now uses support wires to soften his landings.

Bleeding Steel, written and directed by Chinese helmer Leo Zhang, Chan is starring in his first ever sci-fi film.

“I’m still young but I’m not as young as I used to be and I still want to do new things," he explains. "With the directors, the technology, with my real stunts and real action, I wanted to do a sci-fi movie."

The feature, billed as the biggest budget Chinese film ever to be shot in Australia, is being co-produced by Village Roadshow Pictures Asia and Heyi Pictures, with the support of Screen Australia and Screen NSW. Additional filming will take place in Taipei and Beijing.

The film is being shot in both English and Mandarin in order to appeal to the widest possible market and features a relatively young cast, including newcomer Erica Xia-Hou, who co-wrote the script, 16-year old Taiwanese cellist Nana Ou-Yang, who is starring in her fifth feature film and Chinese TV star Show Luo, as well as Australians Haubrich and Callan Mulvey.

Chan plays a hardened special forces agent who becomes embroiled a major conspiracy while fighting to protect an important witness for a major case. Years later, after the publication of an epic sci-fi novel, the parties behind the conspiracy come to the surface.

[GeneChing]

Jackie Chan Gets Castmates In ‘Bleeding Steel’ (http://deadline.com/2016/07/jackie-chan-cast-in-bleeding-steel-1201794186/)
by Anita Busch
July 28, 2016 8:15am

https://pmcdeadline2.files.wordpress.com/2016/07/bleedingsteel.jpg?w=446&h=299&crop=1

Hot off the China opening of the Renny Harlin-directed Skiptrace which opened to $62M+ in the Middle Kingdom in its first weekend out, Jackie Chan headlined a press conference in Sydney to announce that Aussie actors Tess Haubrich (Alien: Covenant) and Callan Mulvey (Captain America: The Winter Soldier) as well as actor Show Luo (Journey to the West; Mermaid) have joined the cast of his next film, the sci-fi actioner Bleeding Steel.

Written and directed by Leo Zhang and produced by Heyi Pictures and Village Roadshow Pictures Asia, Bleeding Steel is the biggest budget Chinese production ever to shoot in Australia. It also marks Chan’s first film to be shot primarily in Australia since Mr. Nice Guy was filmed in Melbourne in 1996.

Noting the start of principle photography, Heyi Pictures president Kailuo Liu said, “We are confident that with Heyi Pictures’ powerful internet resources in the Chinese film industry and Jackie’s international influence, coupled with our first-class production team and an extraordinary sci-fi story, that we will be able to create a remarkable film for audiences all around the world.”

Bleeding Steel is your basic Chan actioner about a special forces agent (Chan) who has to figh to protect a young woman who is an important witness for a major case. And, of course, they become embroiled in a conspiracy. Leo Zhang directs Chan and other cast members Nana Ouyang (To the Fore), newcomer Erica Xia-Hou, and Tess Haubrich (upcoming Alien: Covenant).

Additional filming will take place in Taipei and Beijing.

Man, of those three mentioned, I only know Show Luo. Shows you where my cinematic attention is nowadays.

[GeneChing]

Living the stereotype Aussies. :rolleyes:


Jackie Chan film set reportedly invaded by drunk fans (http://www.torontosun.com/2016/07/31/jackie-chan-film-set-reportedly-invaded-by-drunk-fans)
WENN.COM
FIRST POSTED: SUNDAY, JULY 31, 2016 09:07 PM EDT | UPDATED: SUNDAY, JULY 31, 2016 09:13 PM EDT

http://storage.torontosun.com/v1/dynamic_resize/sws_path/suns-prod-images/1297862343310_ORIGINAL.jpg?quality=80&size=420x
Jackie Chan speaks to the media during a press conference to announce the start of filming in Australia of his new film "Bleeding Steel," in Sydney, Australia, Thursday, July 28, 2016. (AP Photo/Rob Griffith)

Drunken revellers reportedly gatecrashed the set of Jackie Chan’s new movie in Australia.

While filming a carnival scene at night for the upcoming Bleeding Steel on Sydney Harbour on Friday, a catamaran full of young men and women pulled up to the pier, MailOnline.com reports.

The apparently drunken revellers called out to the cast and crew of the film, waving and even flashing their bare behinds while others erupted in hysterics.

Chan, 62, tried to ignore the disruption and continued filming with co-stars Nana Ou-Yang and Erica Xia-Hou while riding the carousel.

Editors at MailOnline.com report the partygoers on the catamaran were in fact part of a bachelor party, and several women were spotted on the boat wearing sheer lingerie.

The carnival scene, filmed at popular tourist spot Mrs Macquarie’s Chair overlooking the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House, was secured by a perimeter fence, security guards, and two bodyguards for Chan.

The movie is said to be the most expensive Chinese film ever to be shot in Australia, and stars Rush Hour action man Chan as a secret agent tasked with protecting a key witness in a major case.

[GeneChing]

RUMBLE AT THE OPERA HOUSE (http://www.tmz.com/2016/08/10/jackie-chan-sydney-opera-house-bleeding-steel/)
8/10/2016 7:03 AM PDT BY TMZ STAFF

http://ll-media.tmz.com/2016/08/10/0810-main-jackie-chan-splash-4.jpg
Jackie Chan got high in Australia for one of his fighting scenes ... way high.
The action star took to the top of the iconic Sydney Opera House to film a martial arts scene for his upcoming "Bleeding Steel" flick. A latex-clad Tess Haubrich delivered the blows from above.
And Jackie enjoyed the view.

http://ll-media.tmz.com/2016/08/10/0810-jackie-chan-fight-scene-top-sydney-opera-house-splash-3.jpg

There's a lot of press on this, as well there should be. Good ol' Jackie. Still busting it out.

[GeneChing]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYckO2AwEaI

[GeneChing]

Ou-Yang Nana Swings From Jackie Chan Role to Disney Album (https://www.usnews.com/news/entertainment/articles/2017-08-08/ou-yang-nana-swings-from-jackie-chan-role-to-disney-album)
Ou-yang Nana may be the new 'it girl,' with a starring role in the next Jackie Chan movie, but she's returning to her roots and first love: cello.
Aug. 8, 2017, at 6:11 a.m.

https://www.usnews.com/dims4/USNEWS/c8fa3f8/2147483647/thumbnail/970x647/quality/85/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fmedia.beam.usnews.com%2F02%2F4d9 8e2fbe87a5bb51bbd9af6841363%2Fresizes%2F1500%2Fmed ia%3A6ab0e06a817c403fa36fea969762a3fdTaiwan_Music_ Ou-yang_Nana_65207.jpg
The Associated Press
In this photo taken on Friday, Aug. 4, 2017, Taiwanese actress Ou-yang Nana poses during an interview with The Associated Press in Taipei, Taiwan. Nana may be the new ‘it girl,’ with a starring role in the next Jackie Chan movie, but she’s returning to her roots and first love: cello. The 17-year-old actress just released her second cello album, “Cello Loves Disney,” where she plays all the classic hits from her favorite fairy tales. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying) THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

By ANGELA CHEN, Associated Press

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Ou-yang Nana may be the new 'it girl,' with a starring role in the next Jackie Chan movie, but she's returning to her roots and first love: cello.

The 17-year-old actress just released her second cello album, "Cello Loves Disney," where she plays all the classic hits from her favorite fairy tales. Ou-yang said that it was a dream come true to record the songs she loves and knows by heart, including "Tale as Old as Time" from "Beauty and the Beast."

"Never did I imagine that when I'm 17, I could play it and release the album. When I was little, I'd sit on sofa and watch the movie. I'd think, 'Oh, Belle is so beautiful when she's dancing with Beast.'

"This was also the first song that I recorded for the album. There was a lot to adjust, to get used to, but I still need to sound sweet and full of love."

Ou-yang was born into a family of entertainers. Her aunt, Ou-yang Fei Fei, was a famous singer in Taiwan in the 1970s. Both her parents acted in television in Taiwan. Ou-yang Nana was trained to become a classic cellist, but dropped out of school to pursue acting full time.

Her role in the 2014 film "Beijing Love Story" jump-started her acting career. At 15, she was a guest of Chanel at its Paris Fashion show, taking selfies with Karl Lagerfeld backstage. She just released 'Secret Fruit,' a coming-of-age love story, in China.

Next, Ou-yang will be playing Jackie Chan's daughter in his new action sci-fi film "Bleeding Steel," scheduled for release in China in December. She said the action star has shared with her words of wisdom that she has taken to heart.

"You will never see (Jackie Chan) tired. I've never heard him say he's tired, or wants to sleep or take a break. ... When I see him like that, I feel so inadequate. He also tells me that I should work harder when I'm young, so that I don't have any regrets when I'm old."

The on-screen father/daughter duo had such a wonderful connection they decided to extend it to Ou-yang's cello album. Chan and Ou-yang sing a Mandarin version of 'A Whole New World' as a bonus track on the album.

Ou-yang said she is not ruling out going back to school one day, but doesn't wish to be a normal 17-year-old.

"I choose this life. I want to be an actress, I want to be a cellist," she said. "So I have to learn to accept all the things like paparazzi, and the reporters ... or cyberbullies. These things I have to learn."

"Cello Loves Disney" is in stores now Asia wide, and available for download on iTunes, Spotify and KK Box.

Another father/daugther theme in a Jackie film like The Foreigner (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?68698-The-Foreigner). Could Jackie be grappling with his own father/daughter issues (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?42240-Jackie-Chan-scandals&p=1301478#post1301478)?

[GeneChing]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMX868HMhmw

[GeneChing]

This will make for a nice xmas gift. Jackie will face off against Pitch Perfect 3 & All the Money in the World (starring Kevin Spacey - yeah, that might tarnish sales...)


AFM: Jackie Chan's 'Bleeding Steel' Gets Global Deal (Exclusive) (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/afm-jackie-chans-bleeding-steel-gets-global-deal-1054165)
7:13 AM PDT 11/2/2017 by Alex Ritman

http://cdn2.thr.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/landscape_928x523/2017/10/gettyimages-858460012_-_h_2017.jpg
Getty Images
Jackie Chan

Swen Group teams with WME-IMG China to acquire sci-fi thriller 'Bleeding Steel,' with plans to release in many territories — including the U.S. — on Dec. 22.
AFM regular Jackie Chan has found a world-spanning home for his latest thriller.

Swen Asia, division of The Swen Group, and WME-IMG China, a subsidiary of Endeavor, have acquired worldwide rights (outside of China) to Bleeding Steel, with plans for a day-and-date release with China and the U.S., U.K., Austrailia, New Zealand, Latin America and most Asian territories on Dec. 22.

Chan appears in the sci-fi action thriller alongside Taiwanese star Show Luo and Australian actors Callan Mulvey (Captain America: The Winter Soldier) and Tess Haubrich (Alien: Covenant). Rounding up the cast is Nana Ouyang (To the Fore) and newcomer Erica Xia-Hou.

Bleeding Steel alternates between China and Sydney, and sees Chan play a special forces agent who become embroiled in a major conspiracy while protecting a scientist. It is the biggest-budget Chinese production to have ever been shot in Australia, and the first feature to shoot scenes on top of the Sydney Opera House.

Written and directed by Lijia Zhang, Yunshan Ziahou and Siwei Cui, Bleeding Steel was produced by China’s Heyi Pictures and Village Roadshow Pictures Asia.

Swen Group president Murray Lipnik Endeavor Content on behalf of WME-IMG China to secure the deal. Ellen Eliasoph represented the producers in the negotiations.

“We are thrilled to continue our worldwide expansion strategy with this important and exciting film,” said Lipnik. "Jackie Chan remains a worldwide superstar and our partnership with WME-IMG China on this project fits perfectly into our long-term plans."

[GeneChing]

...in the wake of The Last Jedi (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?69288-Star-Wars-VIII-The-Last-Jedi) which opens next week.


DECEMBER 04, 2017 6:00am PT by Patrick Brzeski
Chinese Film Sector Charts a Course for a Sci-Fi Blockbuster to Call Its Own (https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/chinese-film-sector-charts-a-course-a-sci-fi-blockbuster-call-own-1062774)
The genre may have a spotty history in the Middle Kingdom, but Beijing's film industry is in the grips of a sci-fi moviemaking boom, with over 10 projects set for release in the coming year and a half — but will audiences respond?

https://cdn1.thr.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/scale_crop_768_433/2017/11/jackie_chan_1_copy_-_h_2017_0.jpg
Courtesy of Perfect Village
Jackie Chan in 'Bleeding Steel'

The genre may have a spotty history in the Middle Kingdom, but Beijing's film industry is in the grips of a sci-fi moviemaking boom, with over 10 projects set for release in the coming year and a half — but will audiences respond?
It's an eternal question, and the implicit basis for just about every science fiction film ever made: What does the future hold? One of the surest answers these days — given most geopolitical indicators, as well as the makeup of the world's population — is that it's going to look a lot more Chinese.

Yet Hollywood hasn't quite kept pace: most studio depictions tend to project a decidedly American vision of humanity's forays into the future and outer space. The interstellar picture, however, is about to get a lot more diverse.

Over the past year, no genre has captivated the Chinese film industry more than sci-fi. There are now no less than 10 high-profile such projects targeting release over the coming 12 to 18 months, and many of the country's most esteemed film figures have caught the bug.

"It's the next big trend," says Hong Kong director and DreamWorks Animation veteran Raman Hui (Shrek the Third, Monster Hunt). "Even I thought maybe I should try a big sci-fi movie, and my background is family animation."

As is often the case in China, the first major title to hit the market will star Jackie Chan. Set in the not-too-distant future, Bleeding Steel, a sci-fi action thriller written and directed by Lijia Zhang, features Chan as a hardened special forces agent who gets swept up in a global conspiracy while trying to protect the young inventor of a futuristic technology. Produced by Heyi Pictures and Village Roadshow Pictures Asia, the film is set for a day-and-date release in China and North America on Dec. 22.

China's first full-scale interstellar spectacular probably won't come until late 2018, however, with the release of The Wandering Earth, a big-budget adaptation of a short story by Liu Cixin, China's first winner of the Hugo Award, the highest honor in international science fiction writing. The film is co-produced by China Film Group and Beijing Culture, the red-hot Beijing studio behind mega-blockbuster Wolf Warrior 2 ($870 million worldwide). Set in a distant future — one in which China plays a key role in interplanetary affairs — the story revolves around the imminent explosion of the sun.

Among the many other Chinese sci-fis in the pipeline are: Crazy Alien, an extraterrestrial comedy by hitmaker Ning Hao (2014's Breakup Buddies, $195.3 million); Realm of the Tiger, a sci-fi superhero movie starring Li Bingbing; Shanghai Fortress, a disaster flick about an alien attack on earth starring heartthrobs Lu Han and Shu Qi; a big-canvas space spectacle called Star Core; sci-fi romance The Girl From the Future; and Pathfinder, an interstellar survival movie about a crew that crash-lands on a desert planet, among others.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/sites/default/files/2017/11/tuo_xing_zhe__ju_zhao_3_copy_-_h_2017_-_embed_2017.jpg
Xi Qi in Pathfinder

The impending Sino sci-fi wave has local industry leaders looking ahead with a mixture of excitement and apprehension — in part because Hollywood has had such a mixed track record with the genre in China.

The biggest Western sci-fi fantasies, such as Star Wars and Star Trek, have tended to underperform in China. Since most of the local audience is unfamiliar with the original film series, the nostalgia-driven story beats of the rebooted franchises have tended to leave the Chinese crowds confused as often as delighted. But other U.S. sci-fi originals have been smash successes. Christopher Nolan's Interstellar earned 18 percent of its $675.1 million global total in China; and The Martian took 15 percent of its $630 million haul there. Guillermo del Toro's Pacific Rim also performed well, earning $111.9 million in China (compared with $101.8 million in North America), back in 2013 when the local box office was half its current size. But Star Wars: The Force Awakens, by contrast, earned just 6 percent of its historic $2.06 billion global gross in the Middle Kingdom. More recently, Blade Runner 2049, which disappointed virtually everywhere, performed especially poorly in China, only taking in $11.6 million there, compared with $90.2 million in North America.

Legacy baggage won't be a problem from the homegrown fare, of course. Rather, the sheer novelty of the first well-made Chinese sci-fi, on Chinese screens, could generate considerable excitement in the domestic market — it could even attract some box-office notice overseas, where filmgoers have come to expect mostly martial arts fare or period epics from China. There is plenty of inbuilt interest in East Asian sci-fi among the genre's die-hard fan base, helped in large part by the fact that nearly every cult Hollywood sci-fi is to some extent a rip-off of a Japanese manga or anime. In 2013, for example, South Korean sci-fi dystopia Snowpiercer earned $26 million overseas.

"It's an opportunity for us to do something fresh, which is very enticing," says Hui. "But the technical requirements for sci-fi tend to be very high," he adds, noting that Hollywood has trained audiences in China and around the world to expect a VFX polish that remains beyond the grasp of much of the still-maturing Chinese industry.

Already there have been missteps. A hotly anticipated adaptation of The Three Body Problem, the smash hit Chinese sci-fi novel which won Liu the Hugo Award, finished shooting in mid-2015 but has languished in postproduction ever since. Amid reports that visual effects expenses had more than doubled the film's expected total budget, the entire postproduction team was replaced at one stage. Yoozoo Pictures, the young studio that initiated the film has since stepped back from the project, with the more established Beijing Enlight (the company behind hits like The Mermaid and Lost in Hong Kong) said to be taking over. A release date remains unconfirmed.

Beijing studio Jetavana Entertainment, by contrast, was careful to avoid overshooting its fiscal and technical reach while conceptualizing Dream Breaker, its first sci-fi effort, which it is billing as China's first original cyberpunk. Set for release in early Spring 2018, the film stars rising actress Chen Duling as a young woman who must fight her way through a mysterious, holographic game world designed by her late father in order to avenge his death.

"Many young Chinese millennials are familiar with the cyberpunk sensibility from gaming and Japanese manga, but they've never seen a cool Chinese version in cinemas," explains Sisi Wu, the company's former general manager of film production. "Creating the sci-fi world for our story was about conceptualizing really stylish production design and costumes, with the right amount of visual effects, which was something we felt we could deliver."
But can China really hope to match Hollywood wizardry when it comes to a genre that is especially reliant on eye-catching effects? Wu is cautiously optimistic.

"Trying to beat Hollywood at visual effects is like attacking a giant with a small stick — we have to be smart about it," she says. "Of course, the situation will be different in the future."

[GeneChing]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QaZ_byYsBvo

[GeneChing]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAw295Kg5jM

[GeneChing]

Unfortunately, the listing on AMC's site (https://www.amctheatres.com/movies/bleeding-steel-55628) is incomplete as of this posting.

Google only shows me this for the SF Bay Area:

Showtimes for Bleeding Steel
All times are in PT
Fri, Dec 22
All times Morning Afternoon Evening Night
Century 20 Daly City and XD - Map
7:10pm 10:30pm

If SF is getting such a limited release, I can't imagine the rest of the U.S. is getting much more. :(

[GeneChing]

Chinese man pays US$27,000 for Bleeding Steel costume only to find it wasn’t worn by his idol (http://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2124767/chinese-man-pays-us27000-bleeding-steel-costume-only-find-it)
Online bidder mistakenly thought lacy one-piece had been worn by teenage actress Nana Ou-Yang
PUBLISHED : Monday, 18 December, 2017, 4:01pm
UPDATED : Monday, 18 December, 2017, 4:13pm
Mimi Lau
mimi.lau@scmp.com

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A Chinese man who paid 180,000 yuan (US$27,240) for a fur-trimmed, lacy costume he thought had been worn by teenage Taiwanese actress Nana Ou-Yang in an upcoming film was surprised to find it had actually been worn by her male co-star.
The producers of the science fiction thriller Bleeding Steel, starring Jackie Chan, Show Luo and Ou-Yang held an online auction of costumes used in the film ahead of its release in mainland China on Friday, Qianjiang Evening News reported on Monday.

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The unnamed bidder shows off the framed costume. He later sold it on for a 20,000 yuan (US$3,000) profit. Photo: Sina.com

Among the items to go under the hammer – on the online platform Xianyu – were a pair of shoes and a helmet worn by Chan, and several, apparently, women’s outfits. One such was a black-and-cream bodice trimmed with red fur and sold with matching red satin gloves.
The lot caught the eye of a man from Huzhou, a city in eastern China’s Zhejiang province, who declined to be named, but was quoted as saying that he was a fan of Ou-Yang and wanted to help promote her new film.
The bidding started at just 1 yuan, but soon began to rise. By the time the auction clock had stopped ticking, the asking price had soared to 180,000 yuan.

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As well as being a successful actress, teenager Nana Ou-yang (pictured here in 2016) is a talented cellist. Photo: Paul Yeung

The successful bidder said he was a little surprised at how much he ended up paying for the outfit but pleased to have secured his prize.
“I have always been fond of collecting memorabilia,” he was quoted as saying.
His pleasure soon ebbed, however, when, after showing off his latest acquisition on social media, he has told by his friends that the “sexy” outfit had never been anywhere near his 17-year-old idol, but had actually been part of the wardrobe of her 38-year-old male co-star, Luo.
Previews of the movie available online backed up their claims and the buyer was crestfallen.
However, his disappointment was short-lived. After being made aware of his mistake, the man from Huzhou re-advertised the costume online and sold it for 200,000 yuan, making 20,000 yuan profit.

I'm not sure who teenager Nana Ou-yang is but I'm guessing she smells nice. I guess too that I'll know her after I see this film.

[GeneChing]

This is being shown through Cinemark theaters so you can enter your zip code into their site and find out if it's playing near you (https://www.cinemark.com/bleeding-steel). Turns out there are three bay area locations, including one right up the highway from here in Union City. Not sure if I'll be able to get out to it though, what with the holidays and all... we shall see.

[GeneChing]

I made a hole in my schedule this evening to see this and now it's gone, nowhere to be found. :mad:

I know, I know, the reviews have sucked but I'm such a Jackie fan, I would've totally gone tonight if it was showing somewhere - anywhere - near by. :(

[GeneChing]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PycUqhQxR1Y

Looks like Lionsgate is going to release this to the U.S. market beyond the Wanda/Dalian release.

So time for my first forum review:

This movie is a real throw-back for Jackie, really more like a live-action anime than typical theatrical fare. If this was done in the 90s, it would've been amazing. It has that campy cheesey sci-fi fantasy style, very pre-MCU comic book. Jackie's fights are okay given that he's in his 60s. He does a lot in masks to cover his stunt doubles. But he does manage an impressive fight high atop the Sydney Opera house, as if he hasn't been there before. There's a goofy bumbling pop idol for comic relief who makes an unconvincing transvestite, a random never-really-explained black imperial cruiser, lightsaber emei piercers (http://www.martialartsmart.com/45-069.html) wielded by a dominatrix-like black cape and vinyl-clad cleavage-baring villainess (as well as a pert cop donning the same outfit later), a borg-like, unmasked-darth villain, plenty of of gratuitous shots of women's busts, and lots of daughter issues. Jackie's got real life daughter issues (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?70504-Jackie-Chan-s-daughter-Etta-Ng), and like with the Foreigner (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?68698-The-Foreigner), this has some thinly veiled metaphors on what Jackie wants to say about how much he really loves his daughter even thought they are estranged. Honestly, I lost track of what was going on with the plot somewhere in the middle. I'm not sure if that was the fault of the lazy writing or my inability to track the overall silliness of the story. There are a few funny moments, like when someone tells the pop idol as he's trying to fight "Who do you think you are? Jackie Chan?" (Note that in this trailer, that line may have been changed from 'Jackie Chan' to 'Spiderman'.) The ng are rather mediocre, probably funny if I understood Cantonese.

[GeneChing]

I just got a press release from Lionsgate reminding me about this. The title says "BLEEDING STEEL - Now Playing In Theaters, On Demand, on iTunes and Amazon!" I just did a cursory search but can't find it playing near by me and given that I'm in the SF Bay Area, a major market for this genre, that strikes me as odd. Anyone find it playing in their area?

[GeneChing]

I find this oddly amusing


NSW government uses unclaimed gambling winnings to fund Jackie Chan film (https://www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw/nsw-government-uses-unclaimed-gambling-winnings-to-fund-jackie-chan-film-20181009-p508lp.html)
By Lisa Visentin
23 October 2018 — 12:00am

What to do with the pot of pokies winnings left mysteriously unclaimed by punters each year?

In NSW, state law gives the government wide discretion to determine this, so long as there is a "community benefit".

This is how a Jackie Chan blockbuster flop and the world's richest greyhound race came to be among the biggest beneficiaries of a fund designed to redistribute gambling prizemoney back to the broader NSW community.

The 2017 sci-fi thriller Bleeding Steel, which featured Chan duelling with an evil villain atop the sails of the Sydney Opera House, was funded in part by a one-off direct grant of $850,000 from the NSW government.

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Jackie Chan's film was given a one-off funding injection. CREDIT:PETER RAE

The money came from the Community Development Fund, which is administered by the Office of Responsible Gambling and financed through unclaimed poker machine jackpot prizes and unclaimed gaming machine tickets.

Under the Gaming Machines Act 2001, the money can be spent "for such community benefits as the Secretary considers appropriate" – a discretion which is delegated to the Deputy Secretary within the Liquor, Gaming & Racing Division.

Between 2014-2016, the fund was used to issue grants of $3.34 million to 52 projects, the majority of them local community projects such as new school facilities, as well as 30 separate grants to upgrade war memorials across regional NSW.

The $850,000 grant issued in 2016 to the Chan movie stands out as the largest grant to a single project, accounting for a quarter of the total funding pool.

A spokesman for Liquor and Gaming NSW defended said the government "undertook a thorough cost benefit analysis" and decided the film would deliver "significant short and long-term economic and tourism benefits, particularly from Asia".

"The project directly injected over $20 million into the NSW economy and employed over 1100 staff, crew, cast and extras in NSW between May and September 2016," the spokesman said.

Greens MLC Justin Field described the grant as a "highly unusual use of the Community Development Fund" and questioned why the request for production finance was not considered through a formal application to Create NSW, the state government's arts funding body.

"This fund is derived from unclaimed gambling winnings. It should be used for genuine community building projects or used to support victims of gambling harm," Mr Field said.

The grant was not subject to an open application process. Instead, it was awarded to YouKu – a Chinese video streaming giant – after the company applied to the NSW government through a local production services company for financial assistance to shoot parts of the film in Sydney.

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Jackie Chan on the Bleeding Steel set at Moore Park in 2016. CREDIT:NICK MOIR

The movie's dialogue was in Mandarin interspersed with English-language scenes, featuring performances by Australian actors Callan Mulvey, Kym Gyngell and Tess Haubrich.

Bleeding Steel was thoroughly panned by critics, including the South China Morning Post which concluded it hit "a new low in terms of the nonsensical garbage [Chan] is willing to put his name to".

The NSW racing industry has been another big beneficiary of the Community Development Fund.

In July, the state government handed $500,000 to the Million Dollar Chase greyhound race series, two years after the Coalition's failed attempt to ban the sport in NSW.

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The Million Dollar Chase at Wentworth Park.

This came on top of a $400,000 package to establish the Back to the Track grants program to promote "thoroughbred, harness and greyhound racecourses and clubs across regional and remote NSW".

The current balance of the fund is more $1.1 million, according to the latest departmental information supplied to a recent budget estimates committee. The fund was created in 2001.

However, it is not clear how much money has been channelled into the fund over the past two decades and where it has been spent.

The Department of Industry – which oversees the office of Liquor and Gaming NSW – said it had no record of how the fund was used prior to 2014.

And despite further inquires to the government, the Herald has been unable to determine which department, if any, holds these records.