Jet Li to star in 'Kung Fu Cult Master' sequel
Published/updated on April 1, 2009
Jet Li and Sammo hung in KUNG FU CULT MASTER (1993)
It's been over 15 years since martial arts superstar Jet Li appeared in KUNG FU CULT MASTER (aka EVIL CULT), the first of what was meant to be director Wong Jing's two-part adaptation of Louis Cha's wuxia novel "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre." The film ended on a cliffhanger with an immediate sequel to follow, a sequel that was never made… until 2009. In a press conference held earlier this week, writer-director Wong Jing formally announced that KUNG FU CULT MASTER 2 would begin shooting this summer after production of his current film, FUTURE COPS ends.
Returning stars include Sammo Hung in the role of Li's bearded master. Sammo will also provide action direction. Collin Chou will return as well, this time in the lead villain role as the treacherous Shing Kwun. Other cast members include Vicky Zhao, Vincent Chiu, Athena Chu, Anthony Wong, Yu Rongguang, Yuen Qiu, and Chin Kar-lok.
The sequel will pick up where the end of KUNG FU CULT MASTER left off. To recap, having mastered two supreme martial arts abilities and quelled conflict between six martial arts sects and the Ming Cult, Chang Mo-kei (Li) is reluctantly elected the cult's leader and later races to the defense of the sect leaders, who have been captured by the manipulative and beautiful Princess Chao Min (Sharla Cheung) and her army of Mongol warriors. The 1993 film ends with Chang fighting to protect his master Chang San-fung (Sammo Hung) before Chao Min, who is actually in love with Chang, flies off with a parting challenge for the hero to find her and rescue the remaining sect leaders.
In the sequel, Chang goes to rescue the sect leaders and ends up falling in love with Chao Min (Athena Chu). A bitter rivalry develops between Chao and Chang's jealous childhood friend Siu Chiu (Zhao), originally played by Chingmy Yau, and she secretly plots against him. Shing Kwun (Collin Chou) returns to capture Chang's godfather (Yu Rongguang) and host a kung fu tournament to determine the supreme martial arts fighter. This pits Chang against a revenge-seeking Siu Chiu as his godfather and the fate of the martial world hangs in the balance.
Armed with his biggest budget to date, Wong promises that the sequel will surpass its predecessor in every way. He has even promised to take the wuxia genre seriously.
"I know I've made lots of schlocky martial arts movies in the past that shamelessly pander to the general Hong Kong public but this one will be different, I promise," said Wong. "You will actually be able to follow the plot even if you haven't read the book and the action will be the best. We'll have so much wirework that wire pullers assigned to each actor will be in wire harnesses too, each with their own team of wire pullers. It will make Zhang Yimou look like the rank amateur that he is."
Wong went on to address the reason for making this sequel only now. "KUNG FU CULT MASTER was ahead of its time and as a result wasn't received well at the box office. I feel the public has now been sufficiently conditioned to ludicrous video game violence and compressed Twitter and text message communication to make this sequel the success I had envisioned for both films."
Come 2010, everyone who has been waiting patiently to see how KUNG FU CULT MASTER is resolved will finally have their way.
Or maybe not.
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