‘League of Gods’ Jet Li and Huang Xiaoming are the best friends you wish you had
Thursday July 28, 2016
08:40 AM GMT+8
Jet Li in a scene from 'League of Gods' courtesy of Encore Films.
SINGAPORE, July 28 — Chinese fantasy film League of Gods may not have hit theatres just yet, but it has already been generating buzz for promising to be a production of epic proportions.
Directed by up-and-coming film-makers Koan Hui and Vernie Yeung, the HK$300 million (RM156.637 million) blockbuster is based on an old Chinese tale, The Investiture of the Gods, and has been dubbed “the Chinese version of X-Men”.
While the premise is a straightforward adaptation of ancient Chinese folklore — one that is often used as material for various other films and TV series — the elements that set League Of Gods apart are its heavy use of elaborate computer animated graphics, and star-studded cast.
Set in the Shang Dynasty, the movie features Jet Li’s Jiang Ziya as he assembles a band of underdogs — Ji Lei played by Jacky Heung, Er Lang Shen played by Huang Xiaoming and Nezha played by Wen Zhang.
Their mission?
To seek a mystical sword that will help Ji Lei and his new squad overthrow the tyrannical King Zhou, played by Tony Leung Ka Fai, and Fan Bingbing’s Daji, his concubine who is also an evil vixen spirit in disguise.
Homecoming
The movie, in particular, marks Li’s first film role in two years. The action star was last seen on the silver screen in 2014, in the Hollywood movie The Expendables 3.
“I watched Jacky Heung grow up, and now, it’s great seeing him become a star in his own right. He’s grown a lot in the five to six years he’s been in the film industry. Now that he’s the lead, we all lent our support,” said Li on his decision to join the cast, in a phone interview direct from the movie’s premiere in Beijing.
Friendship and loyalty were also the ties that bound Huang to star in League Of Gods.
“The Heungs are my god-parents, and Jacky Heung’s my god-brother. So I had to help my friends and family out. It’s also a good opportunity to showcase his strengths and capabilities as an actor and martial artist,” Huang said in a separate phone interview with the Singapore press.
Their statements support claims that the biggest stars from Hong Kong and China — Li, Fan, Huang, Leung and Louis Koo, among others — were all gathered to support Heung in his first lead role.
Heung’s parents, renowned film producer and co-founder of Win Entertainment Charles Heung and Tiffany Chen, are the producers of League Of Gods.
Fighting through the pain
Concerns were raised over Li’s role in the movie, as reports of his failing health due to numerous martial arts injuries over the years and a bout of hyperthyroidism surfaced.
However, as Li put it, “Jiang Ziya is a character who uses words and cunningness as his weapons, so I didn’t have to do a lot of fighting. In any case, my health is fine now, and with advancements in technology, there’s always a way to recreate action scenes in spite of any physical impediments. Look at the film adaption of Transformers, they managed to get cars to fight.
“The most troublesome part of the production process is actually the makeup. The hair pieces for my beard had to be placed one by one, which took a long time. I wondered why they couldn’t just use computer animation to attach the beard on my face,” Li joked.
For Huang, however, being a great friend came at a cost. After sustaining leg injuries while filming Chinese fantasy flick The White Haired Witch Of Lunar Kingdom in 2012, Huang told us that he still feels pain when he does action sequences or stands for too long — both of which he did plenty of in League of Gods as Er Lang Shen.
“The costume for Er Lang Shen was also very heavy and warm. So every half an hour, I’ll feel faint and will have to rest,” said Huang.
“As an actor, no matter how difficult it is, you still have to work hard to give your best. I still do most of my own stunts, so I just tolerate and push through the pain and fatigue. I always keep in mind the crew and cast, people who are counting on me to do my job well. I persevere for all their sakes.”
Besides the physical hurdles, there was also emotional terrain for Huang to cross. His wife, Angelababy, stars in the movie as Heung’s love interest. When asked if it bothered him that Angelababy has romantic scenes with his god-brother, Huang said: “We both act for a living, so I’m used to it. I never limit her in terms of job choices because I honour and trust her decisions for her own career. It is not my place to tell her what to do.”
With the support of Li and Huang — two of Chinese cinema’s most bankable stars — along with a host of both established and emerging actors and actresses, League of Gods looks to be more than Jacky Heung’s big break. — TODAY
* League Of Gods officially opens in cinemas tomorrow.
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