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Thread: Cannes

  1. #31
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    Teaser trailer

    Teaser trailer for Miike's Blade of the Immortal just dropped for Cannes.

    Gene Ching
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  2. #32
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    Cannes

    Cannes: IM Global Picks Up Chinese Crowd-Pleasers ‘Youth,’ ‘Detective Dee’
    Patrick Frater
    Asia Bureau Chief


    HEON-KYUN/EPA/REX/SHUTTERSTOCK

    MAY 9, 2017 | 08:00AM PT

    IM Global has picked up international sales rights to upcoming Chinese film “Youth” by Feng Xiaogang and “Detective Dee: The Four Heavenly Kings” from leading studio Huayi Brothers. Feng is China’s most consistently commercial director, while the Tsui Hark-directed “Detective Dee” is one of China’s biggest movie franchises.

    Now in post-production, “Youth” chronicles the lives of a group of idealistic adolescents who take part in an army art troupe and learn about love and the growing pains of entering adulthood. The screenplay was written by Yan Geling, who previously penned “The Flowers of War” and the Chinese adaptation of “Dangerous Liaisons.” “Youth” stars Huang Xuan, Miao Miao, and Zhong Chuxi.

    The third film in the “Detective Dee” series, “Four Heavenly Kings” sees Dee defend himself against the accusations of Empress Wu while investigating a crime wave. The film, now in pre-production, will see the return of Mark Zhao (“Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon”) and Carina Lau (“Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame”) alongside Kenny Lin (“Journey to the West: Demon Chapter,” “The Great Wall”) and Feng Shaofeng (“The Monkey King 2,” “Wolf Totem”). Production is by Chen Kuo-fu and Nansun Shi.

    IM Global has an exclusive output deal with Huayi Brothers. IM Global’s Anthem division has previously handled sales for “Mojin: The Lost Legend,” “Mr. Six,” and Zhang Ziyi-starring “The Wasted Times.” IM Global will launch sales on both new titles at the upcoming Cannes market.

    The deal was negotiated by Leslie Chen, IM Global’s SVP, sales and acquisitions Asia.
    Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame

    Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon
    Gene Ching
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  3. #33
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    Mh2

    I'm troubled that MH2 made it to Cannes.

    Cannes: Lionsgate Takes U.S. Rights to Sequel to Chinese Blockbuster 'Monster Hunt'
    12:35 AM PDT 5/17/2017 by Patrick Brzeski

    Courtesy of Edko Films
    'Monster Hunt'

    Directed by DreamWorks Animation veteran Raman Hui, the first 'Monster Hunt' earned an historic $382 million in 2016.
    Lionsgate has acquired North American and U.K. distribution rights to Edko Films' forthcoming sequel to Chinese blockbuster Monster Hunt.

    The deal also gives Lionsgate rights to the Monster Hunt IP for its location-based entertainment venues in some territories.

    Directed by DreamWorks Animation veteran Raman Hui (Shrek the Third) and produced by Bill Kong, the first Monster Hunt (2016) earned an historic $382 million, which was then the biggest performance ever at the Chinese box office. The professional polish of the film's effects set a new standard for the Chinese industry.

    Monster Hunt 2 again stars Baihe Bai and Boran Jing, along with franchise newcomer Tony Leung Chiu-Wai (In the Mood for Love, The Grandmaster). Now shooting, the film is set for release during Chinese New Year in 2018. Lionsgate will bring the film out day-and-date with China in the U.S. and U.K.

    Set in a world where monsters and humans co-exist, the franchise tells the story of Wuba, a baby monster born to be king. Wuba becomes the central figure in stopping an all-out monster civil war.
    Gene Ching
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  4. #34
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    Cannes

    More from Cannes - Bruised.

    Will Blake be convincing as an MMA fighter or is this going to be like another Colombiana?

    Cannes: Blake Lively to Star in MMA Action-Drama 'Bruised'
    7:11 AM PDT 5/15/2017 by Tatiana Siegel

    be directed by Nick Cassavetes, switching gears from his biggest box-office hits 'The Notebook' and 'The Other Woman.'
    Blake Lively is getting in the cage for the mixed martial arts film Bruised.

    The action-drama will be directed by Nick Cassavetes, switching gears from his biggest box-office hits The Notebook and The Other Woman.

    Sierra/Affinity is introducing the project to buyers in Cannes this week. The script, written by Michelle Rosenfarb, began circulating to foreign buyers over the weekend.

    The film centers on a single mother working two jobs and a former MMA fighter who must return to the cage in order to keep her son.

    Thunder Road Pictures’ Basil Iwanyk is producing alongside Linda Gottlieb and Guymon Casady of Management 360. Production is slated to begin in September.

    Lively proved that she could carry a film with last year's breakout The Shallows, which took $119 million globally. She also was on hand at Cannes last year with Woody Allen's Cafe Society, which opened the festival.

    She and Cassavetes are repped by WME.
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  5. #35
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    China, Cannes and KFTC25 AF

    Juggling Cannes news and KFTC25 AF is making for an amusing hump day morning.

    Chinese Companies Return to Cannes – But Will They Bring Their Checkbooks?
    CannesWrap magazine: A flat Chinese box office and investment restrictions could loom over Cannes, but the sale of rights to individual movies may not be affected much
    Matt Pressberg | May 16, 2017 @ 3:56 PM



    This story first appeared in the Cannes issue of TheWrap Magazine.

    Tinseltown has a long tradition of extracting healthy sums of money from flashy foreign financiers who can’t stay away from the world’s most glamorous industry. Most recently, much of that cash has come from China. But after a two-year run in which seemingly every major and minor studio inked a coproduction deal with Chinese financial partners and Chinese companies agreed to a series of increasingly eye-popping acquisitions, including Dalian Wanda Group’s $3.5 billion purchase of Legendary Entertainment in 2016, the firehose of Middle Kingdom funding abruptly dried up.

    The Chinese government’s State Council instituted strict capital controls limiting Chinese investment in overseas companies; along with other tightened regulations, the restrictions killed off several major cross-border deals, including Dalian Wanda Group’s planned $1 billion acquisition of Dick Clark Productions.

    Furthermore, a combination of a disappointing slate of Chinese films and the reduction of generous online-ticketing subsidies left the country’s box office essentially flat last year after surging nearly 50 percent in 2015. All of that could loom over Cannes, where plenty of heavy hitters on the harbor’s mega-yachts are likely to be talking about what’s happening in waters much further east.

    However, even though Chinese acquisitions have ground to a halt, sales of rights to individual movies shouldn’t be affected much, Schuyler Moore, a partner at Stroock & Stroock & Lavan who has worked on numerous deals involving Chinese film companies, told TheWrap. “They’re still able to do presales of content,” Moore said. “I don’t expect it to be a change as far as purchase of content for Chinese distributors.”

    But those distributors might have a tougher time getting deals done — or, at least, done with terms as favorable as they’ve obtained in recent years — according to John Burke, a partner at Akin Gump who leads the firm’s entertainment group. “I can imagine that the restrictions might disadvantage Chinese distributors looking to buy Chinese rights,” Burke told TheWrap. “If you’re a seller, you’re going to be concerned with their ability to access U.S. dollars to make payments.”

    Burke said that individual film deals aren’t subject to the same restrictions, because they are investments in projects rather than companies. But the fact that cross-border China-Hollywood deals haven’t been consummated in months could force Chinese buyers into less favorable terms as they try to acquire movies from sellers that may not be convinced about their ability to deliver on the deal. “To protect against uncertainty, sellers may require [Chinese buyers] to pay up front or back it up with a letter of credit payable when the picture gets delivered,” Burke said.

    Kylin Pictures, a China-based firm that was a co-financier on Mel Gibson’s “Hacksaw Ridge,” is going to Cannes as a seller this year. The production company is looking to sell international rights to action-adventure fantasy “The King’s Daughter” through its international distribution partner Good Universe, Kylin CEO Leo Shi Young told TheWrap.

    While Young will be on the other side of the table, he said he expects there will still be plenty of Chinese buyers heading to Cannes looking for good films to buy to help feed the country’s constantly expanding appetite for movies, as it continues to build movie theaters by the dozen.

    And just as Amazon and Netflix have changed the landscape at Sundance, China’s burgeoning streaming services, including Baidu’s iQiyi and Alibaba’s Youku Tudou, could also step up their dealmaking. They have the added advantage of less regulatory scrutiny than theatrical releases, which must be cleared by the country’s strict censors, who often require substantial edits. “Online they also have a lot of markets, so they can sell to those,” Young said. “For those channels, the regulations or censorship will probably be easier and looser.”

    China’s regulators protect local fare through a quota system and blackout period, but Chinese films still haven’t really registered beyond the country’s borders, even though some of them have reeled in hundreds of millions of dollars at home. But for the second year in a row, no Chinese films were announced as part of the festival’s official selection. However, there is a second annual China Co-Production Day, Bridging the Dragon, which will take place May 19 as part of the Cannes film market, the Marché du Film, which runs concurrent with the film festival.

    And the country’s moviegoing audience isn’t satisfied with a homegrown diet alone, Young said, which is why distributors come to Cannes looking to buy. “The Chinese film market is expanding a lot — they need content,” he said. “They need good films.” At the beginning of last year, it seemed like only a matter of time until deep-pocketed Chinese buyers dominated the film industry. But it wouldn’t be Hollywood without a twist. How will it play out at Cannes? Stay tuned. “Last year, as crowded as it was, it seemed like the Chinese were overrunning Cannes,” Burke said. “It will be interesting to see if that changes when we get there this year.”
    Gene Ching
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  6. #36
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    Cannes

    More from Cannes - Silvering Spear

    Cannes: Chinese Gaming Company Acquires Unproduced Akira Kurosawa Screenplays
    12:45 AM PDT 5/18/2017 by Patrick Brzeski

    Courtesy of Venice Film Festival
    'Seven Samurai'

    The Chinese firm plans to go into production on "Silvering Spear," an unfilmed samurai project from the Japanese cinema legend, in 2018.
    The unproduced screenplays of Japanese film legend Akira Kurosawa, a giant of cinema history, could finally be making their way to the big screen.

    During a press event at the Cannes Film Festival Thursday, Chinese gaming company Jinke Entertainment unveiled that it has acquired the rights to nine unfilmed Kurosawa works from Kurosawa Production Co., the Tokyo-based firm dedicated to promoting and protecting the filmmaker's legacy.

    According to Jinke, which began as a chemicals manufacturer but in recent years diversified into mobile game development and distribution, the first Kurosawa project to go into production will be Silvering Spear (working title), a Samurai story set during Japan's Warring States period.

    Silvering Spear is scheduled to begin filming in 2018, with additional production and casting announcements expected soon, the partners said. This first project will be a Chinese-language film, but the other Kurosawa screenplays could be adapted in other languages, depending on which production partners are brought on board, Jinke said.

    The acquisition announcement in Cannes was made by Akira Kurosawa’s grandson, Takayuki Kato, who now heads up Kurosawa Production Co.

    "My family and I are extremely pleased to work with Jinke Entertainment on the completion of my grandfather’s film Silvering Spear," Kato said. "We look forward to giving his millions of fans around the world the chance to experience one of his final masterpieces. We hope this will be the first of many projects on which we work together with Jinke Entertainment.”

    Zhang Zhengfeng, deputy general manager of Jinke Entertainment, added: "We hope to replicate the success we have achieved in the mobile gaming space in the motion picture genre. We are deeply humbled that our first film project will be that of one of the cinema world’s most revered directors. We’re pleased to have the full support of Mr. Kurosawa’s family and team on this important endeavor, and will honor the work of the Asian film master by creating a high quality production of one of his last film projects.”

    The partners offered the followingl plot summary for Silvering Spear:

    "Silvering Spear tells the story of a samurai named Ishigaki Jyube who demonstrates remarkable marksmanship while living during the Warring States period, a turbulent time in Japan’s history. Ishigaki Jyube searches for a way to utilize his special talents, while not exploiting them for personal gain.

    The Samurai aspires to be a leader who would help to usher in a peaceful time for all. Dedicated to this lofty goal, he refuses to casually pursue his marksmanship talent as a means of subsistence. However, as circumstances in the country go from bad to worse, Ishigaki Jyube’s spear finally becomes a useful tool, when he is tricked into a scam and manipulated by a gang of bandits."
    Gene Ching
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  7. #37
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    Blade Of The Immortal - first English trailer (exclusive)



    Oooooh. This does look good. I luv Miike ultravi.
    Gene Ching
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  8. #38
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    Cannes

    More from Cannes - The Villainess



    ‘The Villainess’ ('Ak-Nyeo’): Film Review | Cannes 2017
    4:55 PM PDT 5/22/2017 by Deborah Young


    Courtesy of Cannes Film Festival
    Kim Ok-vin is 'The Villainess'
    A high-voltage thriller from South Korea. TWITTER

    Kim Ok-vin stars as a trained assassin blackmailed into working for the government in Jung Byung-gil's action thriller.
    The action is the party in the hot/cold, on/off actioner The Villainess, which might be described as a high-adrenaline tale of fighting, shooting, stabbing and killing interrupted by quiet stretches of backstory and character development. In this schizophrenic thriller, Luc Besson’s 1990 noir classic La femme Nikita gets yet another makeover via the story of a beautiful girl trained to kill. Humanizing the violent goodies and baddies no doubt helped the film land a coveted slot in Cannes’ Midnight Screenings, but it’s a choice that also takes serious time away from the action sequences, which will be the real selling point for genre audiences.

    In any case, it’s another step up the ladder for Korean director, writer and producer Jung Byung-gil, who made his directing bow with the documentary Action Boys, describing the life of film stuntmen, and went on to win awards for his first thriller Confession of Murder, based on a real-life serial killer. Audiences should give his villainess a warm embrace in international genre markets.

    Since her father was killed in front of her eyes when she was a child, Sook-hee has been raised by gangsters to be a skilled fighter and a ruthless killer. She marries her boss and mentor but, when he is murdered on their honeymoon, she turns into a fury hell-bent on revenge. In the breath-taking opening sequence, entirely shot from her POV, she storms into the rival gang’s HDQ and, corridor after corridor, shoots ‘em dead. The effect is very much like an early arcade game and, by the time 50 or 60 men in identical dark suits lay bleeding on the floor, about as exciting. When she opens the door at the end of the hall, however, a gym full of leering bruisers are there to protect their boss, and things get a little hotter. For the first time we see the shooter’s face: she’s just an ordinary girl, but she’s hopping mad. And she’s finally out of ammo. When the blood is finally wiped off her face, she emerges with three tiny scratches and in police custody.

    Though Sook-hee has won the first round with a vengeance, she is now a prisoner. She is taken to a secret government training ground where Chief Kwon (the super chic, icy pro Kim Seo-hyung) decides to put her to good use by cutting a deal: if she works for the Korean Intelligence Agency for ten years, they’ll let her go free to live her life. The fact that she’s pregnant probably influences her decision to play along and live as long as she can.

    Thanks to plastic surgery, Sook-hee is soon transformed into a lovely Kim Ok-vin (the female lead in Park Chan-wook’s Thirst.) Kim brings a wide range of emotions to a woman who is called on to be simultaneously a raging fighter, a cold-blooded killer, a tender mother and a hot date. For the moment, she goes through “training” which involves fighting other cadets with blades and guns more than martial arts, but also learning a craft that can be used as a cover when she goes underground as a sleeper cell. Her only aptitude turns out to be acting, so she is given a new identity as a theater actress and a modest apartment to live in with her infant daughter.

    Hyun-soo, the nice boy next door (played with appealing brashness by Sung-Jun) clumsily courts her, without letting on that he’s an undercover operative for the Agency sent to shadow her. Meanwhile, her ex-husband Joong-sang (Shin Ha-kyun of Thirst and Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance) returns to haunt her memories.

    The flurry of characters takes a long time to get straight, and identification is made even harder by the nervous handheld camerawork and rapid-fire editing that makes no concessions. But no matter: the film comes into its element in the imaginative action scenes, which include a coy assignment for Sook-hee and a friend as geishas entertaining three cutthroats, ending with blood on the floor. Signature sequences are an unforgettable motorcycle chase at night down the highway, and an eye-popping finale in which Sook-hee leaps onto the back of a speeding bus and hacks her way in for a final showdown with her chief nemesis.

    Among the fine tech work, Koo Ja-wan’s abstract, pulsating score gets under the skin.

    Production company: Apeitda
    Cast: Kim Ok-vin, Shin Ha-kyun. Bang Sung-jun
    Director: Jung Byung-gil
    Screenwriters: Jung Byung-gil, Jung Byung-sik
    Producers: Jung Byung-gil
    Executive producers: Kim Woo-taek
    Director of photography: Park Jung-hun
    Production designer: Kim Hee-jin
    Costume designer: Chae Kyung-hwa
    Editor: Heo Sun-mi
    Music: Koo Ja-wan
    World sales: Contents Panda
    Venue: Cannes Film Festival (Midnight screening)
    129 minutes
    Gene Ching
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  9. #39
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    The Girl in the Spider's Web

    To reiterate, The Girl Who Played with Fire is the sequel to The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo followed by The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest. The Girl Who Played with Fire features our magazine, the 2008 Sep/Oct issue, so we luv it long time, which is why I ttt-ed this thread instead of one of the others.

    Let's just admire that cover for a sec, shall we?

    Master Hoy Lee attended KFTC25 AF and it was very nice to see him again.

    If the The Girl in the Spider's Web comes to fruition, I'll copy this out into a separate thread. For now, it's just more Cannes news.

    MAY 15, 2017 11:45am PT by Borys Kit
    Claire Foy in Early Talks to Star in 'The Girl in the Spider's Web'
    ueen Elizabeth on Netflix's 'The Crown.'
    Claire Foy, who stars as Queen Elizabeth on Netflix’s The Crown, is Sony’s choice to step up to the keyboard to play hacker Lisbeth Salander in its adaptation of The Girl in the Spider's Web.

    Fede Alvarez is attached to direct the project, which is seen as a relaunch of the Girl With the Dragon Tattoo franchise.

    The studio has been on the hunt for a new actress to take on the role, and the finalists came down to Foy and Felicity Jones, sources say. Foy has the offer, according to insiders, but scheduling is one of the challenges that need to be worked out. (The actress is also fielding interest from Universal for its Neil Armstrong biopic First Man, starring Ryan Gosling.)

    The role of the brooding and strong Salander is a coveted one as it has proven to be both launch pad and showcase. Noomi Rapace starred in the Swedish-language trilogy, which was an international hit and catapulted her onto the worldwide stage. Rooney Mara played the part in the 2011 film directed by David Fincher and received an Academy Award nomination.

    Dragon Tattoo, released in 2011, was based on the first of the three detective novels centering on journalist Mikael Blomkvist and hacker Salander. They were written by Stieg Larsson, who died in 2004. The new film project would be based on the fourth book in the series, which was written by David Lagercrantz and released in 2015.

    Foy is a British actress who also appeared on the TV series Wolf Hall and in the 2014 film Vampire Academy. She is repped by UTA and Independent Talent Group in the U.K.
    Gene Ching
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  10. #40
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    May 31 for S. Korea, June 16 for U.S.

    Warriors of the Dawn at Cannes

    Cannes: Fox Korea's 'Warriors of the Dawn' Sets North American Release Date
    8:43 PM PDT 5/23/2017 by Lee Hyo-won


    Courtesy of 20th Century Fox Korea
    'Warriors of the Dawn'

    The period epic has presold to Asian territories as well as Australia/New Zealand.
    Warriors of the Dawn, the upcoming title by Fox International Productions Korea, has presold to multiple territories, Fox announced Wednesday. The release date for the period epic in North America has also been set for June 16.

    The star-studded battle film starring popular South Korean actor Lee Jung-jae (Assassination, Operation Chromite opposite Liam Neeson) has been picked up by buyers from Australia, the Philippines, Taiwan and New Zealand during the Cannes Film Market.

    "We are aiming to release the film in at least 30 locations," said a spokesperson for M-Line, which is handling international sales, about the film's North American theatrical opening.

    "Unlike most Korean period films, Warriors of the Dawn features exotic scenery shot across multiple locations, passionate performances by actors and a strong theme that has captured the hearts of global buyers," said the spokesperson, who added that M-Line expects "additional sales that will help fuel the attention given to Korean cinema at this year's market."

    Set during the 1592 war between medieval Korea and Japan, Warriors follows the war efforts of the Crown Prince Gwanghae when the king flees for the safety of his own life.

    Warriors is the fifth and latest Korean-language movie to be produced by Fox International Productions and to be released by Fox Korea. FIP is one of the first Hollywood studios to create local productions in South Korea, where domestic fare dominates more than half of the market share. South Korea also has the highest moviegoing rate and per-capita cinema attendance rate, according to the state-backed Korean Film Council. Last year, Fox's The Wailing made a splash at the Cannes market.

    Directed by Chung Yoon-chul, Warriors will hit South Korean theaters May 31.
    Gene Ching
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  11. #41
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    More to come

    I still haven't seen either

    Master of the Drunken Fist: Beggar So
    or Master of the Shadowless Kick: Wong Kei-Ying (and I haven't been to Cannes yet either) Anyone seen them yet?

    Cannes: HBO, China Movie Channel to Co-Produce More Martial Arts Films (Exclusive)
    8:58 AM PDT 5/20/2017 by Patrick Brzeski


    Getty Images
    China Movie Channel vp Zhang Ling (left), HBO Asia CEO Jonathan Spink

    The deal marks HBO's second co-production pact for the massive Chinese TV sector, which counts some 1.2 billion viewers.
    HBO Asia is again partnering with China Movie Channel to co-develop and produce a pair of Chinese-language martial arts movies for television.

    The project will mark HBO and its affiliates' second co-production pact for the massive Chinese TV sector, which counts some 1.2 billion estimated viewers. China Movie Channel (CMC), also known as CCTV6, is the flagship entertainment channel of state broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV).

    Last year, CMC and HBO Asia co-produced Master of the Drunken Fist: Beggar So and Master of the Shadowless Kick: Wong Kei-Ying, two martial-arts flicks set in ancient China at the end of the Qing dynasty. The movies were directed by Guo Jian-yong, a veteran action choreographer on projects like John Woo's Red Cliff and Jason Statham's Transporter franchise. The films were then aired simultaneously on CMC’s channels in mainland China and across 23 Asian territories on HBO and RED by HBO.

    "We were very pleased with how our first collaboration turned out, so we are very happy to be partnering with HBO on two more high-quality TV movies that celebrate Chinese culture and history," Zhang Ling, vice president of China Movie Channel, told The Hollywood Reporter at the Cannes Film Festival.

    Zhang declined to share further details about the new projects. But, like their predecessors, each film is expected to be a stand-alone story exploring the life of a legendary martial arts master from Chinese history — together, the movies will form a loose series, or portfolio, of martial-arts sagas.

    CMC is no newcomer to collaborations with Hollywood. In 2014, it invested in Paramount’s Transformers: Age of Extinction, and it also took a stake in Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation the following year.

    "We are looking to partner with more experienced entertainment companies from around the world," said Zhang. "These collaborations give our talents and creative teams an opportunity to learn from Hollywood production experience, and they also help us share Chinese culture with the world in very professional way."

    Zhang shared the news of the projects with THR shortly before the kickoff of the annual China Night Party held on the beach in front of the iconic Hotel Majestic in Cannes. Now in its ninth year, the China Night Party added an entertainment industry panel discussion component to the festivities for this year's edition. Panelists included leaders of the Chinese film industry, such as Bona Film Group chairman Yu Dong, as well as U.S. and international industry players, such as Lorenzo Soria, president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (the organizer of the Golden Globes); Jonathan Wolf, managing director of the American Film Market; and Valerie Lepine Karnlk, CEO of Film France. The panel series was recorded for a delayed broadcast on China Movie Channel.

    "Over the nine years that we have been hosting the China Night event in Cannes, the Chinese film industry has experienced amazing growth and development," said Zhang. "Our goal is to continue finding new ways to build connections and encourage business and exchange between the Chinese film industry and experienced entertainment professionals from around the world."
    Gene Ching
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  12. #42
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    Cannes

    Cannes: China's Tianying Media Acquires Stan Lee Sci-Fi Script
    6:35 AM PDT 5/13/2018 by Patrick Brzeski


    Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images
    Stan Lee

    Tianying plans to produce the film, based on a Stan Lee comic from the 1970s, as a big-budget Chinese sci-fi comedy.
    China's Tianying Media has acquired The Last Resort, a sci-fi screenplay co-written by Stan Lee and Bob Underwood, under a development agreement with POW! Entertainment.

    The screenplay was partly inspired by Lee’s 1970s comic strip, The Virtue of Vera Valiant, which follows the story of a woman who inherits a resort hotel in space.

    Tianying plans to produce the film as a Chinese sci-fi comedy, and hopes to be in production before the end of 2018.

    "We are so excited to be working with POW! Entertainment and to be able to bring the amazing script of The Last Resort to life," said Wu Jian, CEO of Tianying Media, "We are focusing on the Chinese market, a rapidly growing audience that is extremely hungry for new ideas and a variety of different films."

    The script was initially brought to Tianying by producers Elliot Tong and Reinhard Schreiner of Los Angeles-based Roaring China, a company that aims to connect filmmakers in Hollywood and Beijing.

    Tianying Media is affiliated with China's state-owned Tianjin North Film Group. One of its first projects as a co-financier is the forthcoming sci-fi disaster tentpole Shanghai Fortress, directed by Teng Huatao and starring Shu Qi and Lu Han. The company has a strategic distribution partnership with China Film Co.
    THREADS
    The Last Resort
    Cannes
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  13. #43
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    The JYCU?

    Cannes: Why a Famed Chinese Novelist Is Sparking Marvel-Like Dreams for China
    11:00 PM PDT 5/8/2018 by Karen Chu


    Illustration by Alexander Wells

    After a long absence, movie adaptations of the epic works of Jin Yong, which feature hundreds of characters with individualized skills — sound familiar? — will soon storm the Chinese multiplex.

    The name Jin Yong is as synonymous with Hong Kong’s rich tradition of wuxia cinema as Stan Lee is with the American superhero movie.

    The renowned period novelist (real name: Louis Cha Leung-yung) is said to be the world’s most widely read 20th century Chinese writer, and the countless film and television adaptations of his 15 books indelibly altered the shape of Chinese popular culture.

    “A friend of mine once said to me, ‘I feel lucky to be born Chinese, because it means I can read the wuxia novels of Jin Yong,’” Taiwanese screen goddess Brigitte Lin, who immortalized the character of Asia the Invincible in the classic martial arts films Swordsman II and its sequel, tells THR. “Jin Yong’s work is an indispensable part of the Hong Kong film industry — all of the adaptations of his work have been bound for success.”

    Often likened to greater China’s answer to Game of Thrones or J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, Jin’s sagas are set in various periods of Chinese history, ranging from 6th century B.C. to the 1700s, and covering the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties. His famously intricate narratives bring to life the ancient worlds of jianghu and wulin martial arts and feature mythic heroes seemingly ready-made for the big screen — superhuman martial arts masters driven by honor, integrity and discipline.

    Yet despite their deep and enduring influence in Chinese pop culture, there hasn’t been a big-screen adaptation of one of his books in nearly 20 years. But now a Jin film renaissance appears to be on the horizon, with a succession of adaptations expected to storm the Chinese multiplex over the next decade.

    “Since the 1950s, Jin’s martial arts novels have provided a bottomless well of inspiration for filmmakers,” says Fion Lin, assistant curator for the Performing Arts at the Hong Kong Heritage Museum, where a permanent Jin Yong Gallery exhibits artifacts that document his writing process as well as the TV series, films and video games based on his work.

    “The legendary characters he created, especially, were so popular with readers that they moved swiftly and easily from printed media to silver screen,” Lin adds, noting that more than 40 financially successful Hong Kong films were made from Jin’s stories.

    Most of the books — published in the 1950s and through the ’70s in Hong Kong and Taiwan (but not until later in China, due to the media censorship of the Cultural Revolution) — are stand-alones, but the Condor series (The Legend of the Condor Heroes, Return of the Condor Heroes and The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber, which took place almost a hundred years after the Condor books) forms a trilogy featuring a set of beloved recurring characters.


    Courtesy of Hong Kong Commercial Daily
    The first Condor Heroes book was published in 1957.

    Hong Kong’s legendary Shaw Brothers Studio, which specialized in martial arts releases throughout the ’70s, was particularly keen on the Jin bibliography, churning out one adaptation after another, including Legend of the Fox (1980), The Proud Youth (1978), Ode to Gallantry (1982) and The Brave Archer trilogy (1977-83), based on the Condor books.

    The popularity of Jin’s work continued into the 1990s as films adapted from — or even simply inspired by — his stories regularly stormed the box office. Some of them were produced by Jin superfan Tsui Hark, including The Swordsman trilogy based on The Smiling, Proud Wanderer, co-starring Lin and Jet Li, which collectively earned more than $7.7 million — a sizable sum for the small Hong Kong theatrical market at the time.

    Others helped launch, or cement, the careers of some of Hong Kong and Chinese cinema’s most iconic stars, such as Stephen Chow (1992’s Royal Tramp I and II, which together brought in $10 million), Leon Lai (1993’s The Sword of Many Lovers) and Gong Li (1994’s The Dragon Chronicles — The Maidens). In addition, art house star Wong Kar Wai’s Ashes of Time and the comedic companion piece that he produced, The Eagle Shooting Heroes, were each inspired by Legend of Condor Heroes.

    On television, JIn’s work was just as sought after. For a stretch in the ’80s, Hong Kong’s dominant station, TVB, did one series based on a Jin novel every year. That included the ever-popular Condor Heroes trilogy, The Deer and the Cauldron (which starred a young Andy Lau and Tony Leung Chiu-wai, both fresh out of the station’s acting training course) and The Flying Fox of Snowy Mountain.

    The novels were turned into television series in mainland China all through the 2000s, in addition, Jin's stories have also been adapted for video games, such as the massively popular multiplayer game Heroes of Jin Yong, which combines all of his major characters, spawned a dozen sequels and has remained one of the Chinese-speaking world’s top gaming franchises for two decades.

    Producer-actress Josie Ho, daughter of Hong Kong casino magnate and billionaire Stanley Ho, is investing in a potential series of adaptations through her 852 Films banner. “Jin Yong’s novels are like Marvel Comics in the U.S.,” Ho says, noting how the writer's hundreds of heroes with individualized skills and personas, all nestled into a deep historical context, matches the Marvel Cinematic Universe in terms of breadth and originality.

    Ho’s first Jin project — the title of which has not yet been disclosed — will mark 852's first foray into the mainland Chinese film market (her company has co-produced the London-set How to Talk to Girls at Parties; Hong Kong director Pang Ho-cheung’s Dream Home, in which Ho starred; and Revenge: A Love Story, featuring singer-actor-director Juno Mak). 852 has partnered with China’s The One Media Group, which bought the mainland film adaptation rights to Jin’s major works for an undisclosed sum in September.

    Also under The One Media banner, Tsui is set to direct a new trilogy based on The Return of the Condor Heroes, with longtime creative partner Nansun Shi producing. Tsui has said his hit Swordsman films were a warm-up for him to adapt Return of the Condor Heroes, which was the first wuxia novel he ever read.

    “It ignited my passion for the wuxia genre and my fascination with the wuxia world,” the legendary director said at a September news conference announcing the One Media projects. “The film rights, production technology and market potential weren’t available for me to direct this film adaptation back then, so I’ve been waiting all this time to do it.”

    The considerable popularity of Jin's novels in mainland China — where his books were embraced passionately after the country opened its doors in the 1980s (late Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping was among his fans) — combined with the fact that there have been no recent movie adaptations, could mean enormous box-office potential for the property in the current marketplace.

    Apart from Tsui’s trilogy and Ho’s franchise ambitions, director Gordon Chan (Painted Skin) is slated to helm an adaptation of Legend of the Condor Heroes (the precursor to Return) for Hong Kong powerhouse Media Asia. Meanwhile, Sun Entertainment Culture is adapting The Book and the Sword, Jin’s 1955 debut novel, to be written by James Yuen (The Warlords) and directed by Jacob Cheung (Cageman).

    “Jin Yong’s novels have proved so popular with readers around the globe, and there is a well-known saying: ‘Wherever there are Chinese, you will find Jin Yong’s novels,’” notes Lin, the curator of the Hong Kong Heritage Museum. “His characters and the martial arts world have crossed geographical borders and become something akin to a lingua franca of the Chinese diaspora.”

    Because of their rich characterizations and structural similarity to the Marvel universe, Ho says she believes that Jin’s sagas might also deliver China’s first major crossover blockbuster to the international marketplace.

    London-based publishing house MacLehose Press is hurrying to set the stage. The company has secured the rights to produce the first authorized English translation of The Legend of the Condor Heroes, the first installment of which was released in January to coincide with Chinese New Year.

    With 11 more volumes to be released in the Condor Heroes saga alone, the Western world has plenty of catching up to do before one of the globe's great fantasy series makes its big-screen return.

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  14. #44
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    Not at Cannes

    Cannes: The Buzz Films That Won't Be at the Festival
    4:22 AM PDT 4/18/2019 by Scott Roxborough


    Andrew Cooper
    Quentin Tarantino's 'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood' will not be ready for Cannes, the festival said.

    There will likely be no Quentin Tarantino on the Croisette, even though the festival says his latest film could still make the cut if the director finishes it soon, with high-profile omissions from the lineup including Ari Aster's 'Midsommar,' Benh Zeitlin's 'Wendy' and Hirokazu Kore-eda's 'The Truth.'

    Cannes, once the undisputed heavyweight champion of international film festivals, has been on the ropes of late.

    Last year's lineup included some impressive titles — Palme d'Or winner Shoplifters and Alice Rohrwacher's Happy as Lazzaro were two standouts — but the buzz and awards attention were elsewhere, thanks in part to the festival's ongoing spat with Netflix, which sent Alfonso Cuaron's Roma to Venice for its world premiere.

    Netflix is skipping Cannes again this year, so the French festival will have to do without such potential awards contenders as Martin Scorsese's mob epic The Irishman, Meryl Streep starrer The Laundromat from director Steven Soderbergh and Noah Baumbach’s period drama The King, starring Timothee Chalamet.

    But Netflix's absence was expected. More surprising were the high-profile omissions from the 2019 lineup that many had predicted were sure things for the Croisette this year.

    Top of the list is Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time In Hollywood, which looked like a lock for the 72nd edition of the Cannes festival. But the feature — which stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie and Timothy Olyphant —wasn't ready in time, the festival said Thursday. Cannes artistic director Thierry Fremaux said the post-production on the film, which Tarantino shot in traditional 35 mm, has been particularly time-consuming and he was “in a sprint” to finish it in time for its scheduled release this summer. Fremaux did hold out a smidgen of hope that the movie could still be a late addition to Cannes, should it be ready before the festival kicks off on May 14.

    Another surprising absence this year is The Truth, Hirokazu Kore-eda's follow-up to Shoplifters, which won Cannes' Palme d'Or just last year. Sources near the Japanese filmmaker said Kore-eda had been angling for a Cannes opening- night slot — the film is his first feature shot outside Japan and features French stars Catherine Deneuve and Juliette Binoche. Cannes said the movie was not ready in time. The Truth will now likely premiere in Venice instead.

    One Cannes regular who won't be making the trip this year is James Gray, whose Ad Astra was not among the 19 competition titles announced Thursday. The American auteur has bowed four of his past five films in Cannes and, with Fox setting a May 24 release date for his new sci-fi picture starring Brad Pitt and Ruth Negga, most expected Ad Astra to touch down on the Croisette. It was not to be.

    Ad Astra was just one of several hotly-anticipated U.S. features that were tipped for Cannes, but will be missing the fest. Midsommar, Ari Aster's follow-up to Hereditary, will not be scaring folks on the French Rivera this year. Fans of Benh Zeitlin's Beasts of the Southern Wild will have to wait a bit longer for his second feature, Wendy, about two children from different worlds stranded on a mysterious island where aging and time have come unglued. And First Cow, indie film heroine Kelly Reichardt's adaptation of Jonathan Raymond’s The Half-Life: A Novel, a period drama set in the 1820s Pacific Northwest, will also not be making the trek to Cannes.

    Fans of Justin Kurzel — many of whom discovered him in Cannes, where he premiered both The Snowtown Murders and Macbeth — hoped the Australian director would return to the festival with The True History of the Kelly Gang, an adaptation of the Peter Carey book starring Russell Crowe, Nicholas Hoult and Charlie Hunnam. But the film didn't make the 2019 cut. Perhaps the movie is a bit too mainstream for Cannes' liking. Or maybe the festival is still recovering from Kurzel's video-game adaptation Assassin Creed.

    On a more serious note, Zhang Yimou's One Second will also not screen in Cannes. The drama was slated to premiere at the Berlin Film Festival before being ignominiously yanked at the last minute, officially for “technical reasons.” It is widely assumed Chinese censors have blocked the movie, which is set during the politically sensitive period of China's Cultural Revolution. There had been hope that a version of the film would be available for Cannes. Now it is unclear if the movie will be seen at all.

    Cannes Film Festival poster 2019

    SCOTT ROXBOROUGH
    Scott.Roxborough@THR.com
    sroxborough
    THREADS
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    Gene Ching
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  15. #45
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    First Love from Takashi Miike

    ‘First Love’: Details Revealed For Takashi Miike’s Cannes-Bound Action-Thriller With RPC & HanWay
    By Andreas Wiseman
    Co-International Editor
    @AndreasWiseman


    HanWay Films

    Details have been released today about Takashi Miike’s Cannes Directors’ Fortnight-bound action-thriller First Love.

    Set over one night in Tokyo, the film will follow Leo, a young boxer down on his luck as he meets his ‘first love’ Monica, a call girl and an addict but still an innocent. Little does Leo know, Monica is unwittingly caught up in a drug-smuggling scheme, and the two are pursued through the night by a corrupt cop, a yakuza, his nemesis, and a female assassin sent by the Chinese Triads. According to the production, all their fates intertwine in “spectacular Miike style, at his most and fun and anarchic.”

    The film reunites Oscar-winning producer Jeremy Thomas’ (The Last Emperor) Recorded Picture Company with cult director Miike for the fourth time after their collaborations on Blade of the Immortal, Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai and 13 Assassins. HanWay Films will handle worldwide sales (excluding Asia) and will commence sales at Cannes.

    The film is a Japanese/UK collaboration and is produced by Muneyuki Kii, Jeremy Thomas and Misako Saka. It also reunites Miike with many of his regular collaborators including writer Miyabi Nakamura (The Bird People In China), composer Koji Endo (13 Assassins) and cinematographer Nobuyasu Kita (Blade Of The Immortal).
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