Star Wars: Rogue One

[GeneChing]

[GeneChing]

AUGUST 17, 2016 11:39pm PT by Patrick Brzeski
'Rogue One' Trailer Generates Mixed Response in China
Disney needs to drum up enthusiasm for the 'Star Wars' universe in China, where viewers are surpassingly unfamiliar with the space saga.


Donnie Yen in 'Rogue One' Lucasfilm

Disney needs to drum up enthusiasm for the 'Star Wars' universe in China, where viewers are surpassingly unfamiliar with the space saga.
It's been nearly a week since the new trailer for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story dropped in China, the world's second-largest film market, and the reaction appears mixed.

With as many as four or five sequels and spinoffs in the works, Disney urgently needs to deepen enthusiasm for the Star Wars franchise in China. Since the original three films in the saga were never released theatrically in the country — and the much-derided prequels came out before the Chinese box office boom had kicked off in earnest — the adventures of Luke and Leia remain a galaxy far, far away to many moviegoers there. Force Awakens grossed a healthy $124.1 million in China, but that's almost half the $240.1 million that Avengers: Age of Ultron earned there.

With Rogue One, Disney has taken a big step towards bringing China into the fold by casting two of the country's biggest stars: Donnie Yen and Jiang Wen. Yen, widely regarded as today's standard-bearer of the Hong Kong martial arts tradition, appears to play a blind, Force-attuned intergalactic Ronin of some kind. And Jiang, one of the country's most respected actors, looks to have a part as a weapons expert decked out in dreads and heavy artillery (for more on the actors and their parts in Rogue One, see here).

"There are mixed sentiments regarding the two Chinese stars," Alexander Leung of Hong Kong-based social media analysis film Lamplight Analytics tells Heat Vision. "Some are saying saying they don't believe the characters are pivotal to the plot at all; others are praising Disney for increasing diversity in the Star Wars franchise."

A mixed response is far better than the reaction many past Hollywood films have generated with their use of local Chinese talent. Social media users in the country are highly skeptical of token castings of major Chinese stars in minor roles in Western movies. The brief appearances of Wang Xueqi and Fan Bingbing in Iron Man 3, for example, were widely derided as blatant pandering for market gain. Chinese actress Angelababy appeared in a bigger part in Fox's Independence Day: Resurgence earlier this summer, but many Chinese viewers still complained that her character was essentially dispensable. Taiwanese pop star Jay Chou's central role in Lionsgate's Now You See Me 2, by contrast, generated considerable excitement, as his persona and character were viewed as a natural and essential fit for the story (the film earned $97.1 million in China compared to $64.9 million in North America, and Lionsgate is now making a Chinese-language Now You See Me spinoff).

Chinese media outlet Sina Movies offered a positive take on the Rogue One trailer earlier this week, writing from its Weibo account, "Excited for Darth Vader! And Jiang Wen and Donnie Yen shot a lot of action scenes — looks good!"

"I really hope it's not the same approach as Independence Day 2...," posted a more skeptical user named Ding Yi.

"Jiang Wen is the first real Chinese actor to be cast by Hollywood, and Donnie Yen is the first true martial arts master to play a Jedi," commented someone using the handle Lomadia.

"What is this, Ip Man 4 vs. Aliens?," joked Tu Chang, referencing Yen's hit kung fu franchise.

It really amuses me that China got the two Star Wars trilogies reversed. That would totally ruin it for me too, I imagine.

[GeneChing]

Next best announcement for Rogue One since Donnie.

Rogue One: Felicity Jones on the importance of women in the Rebellion
Part five of EW's 'Star Wars' week.
BY ANTHONY BREZNICAN • @BREZNICAN


(Jonathan Olley)
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Posted August 12 2016 — 12:01 PM EDT

With the new Rogue One trailer dropping Thursday night, Entertainment Weekly has been posting a week of new stories about the upcoming stand-alone Star Wars film. Here’s part five.

It was a meeting at dawn in hushed restaurant when Felicity Jones found herself recruited for a covert mission.

Director Gareth Edwards (previously best known for Godzilla) had recently signed on to make Rogue One, the first Star Wars stand-alone film about the Rebel soldiers who steal the original Death Star blueprints, and he was considering her as the big sister to lead this band of brothers.

“We were both working at the time and we met at something like 5:30 a.m. in a hotel restaurant,” Jones recalls. “Most of the meeting was conducted in whispers as he explained the story and the character. My first introduction was definitely one shrouded in secrecy and being very careful no one overheard what we were talking about.”

With the movie opening Dec. 16, she’s finally at the stage when she can talk about it. But The Theory of Everything Oscar-nominee has a lot more to discuss, too. She’s in three other movies opening this year: the action-thriller Collide (Aug. 19), the bittersweet supernatural tale A Monster Calls (Oct. 21), and the third Da Vinci Code film Inferno (Oct. 28.)

Nothing pushed her to the limit like playing Rogue One’s Jyn Erso, the loner whose scientist father has knowledge vital to both the Rebels and the Empire. To help the Rebellion secure the plans that will eventually help Luke Skywalker destroy the Death Star, her conscripted outlaw will fight in space, on land, in the pouring rain, and under a sweltering desert sun.

“I’m laughing now, but at the time, it was physically exhausting,” says the actress, 32. “It took a lot of hours of practice, and I worked with a kung fu coach, and I learned to fight, even though I never thought beating up Stormtroopers was something I’d be doing in my job. It came through hard work and lots of practice and rehearsals.”



At 5-foot-3, Jones is not the typical war-movie brawler, but she says that’s part of Jyn’s underdog appeal.

“She is absolutely a very unlikely heroine,” the actress says. “She’s someone on the edges and fringes of society. Physically, she’s smaller than everyone else around her, but… when someone has something they believe in, that’s what powers them, that’s what motivates them, that’s what can give someone enormous strength.”

Edwards says he chose Jones because she wasn’t “so kick-ass and shields-up that the audience couldn’t empathize with her.”

“There were a lot of people who could learn how to fight and beat people up and do the physical side of it. For me, the most interesting thing is when there’s a crack in the armor, when you can glimpse the vulnerability in someone,” the director says. “You can just hang the camera on Felicity and not say a word, and you can feel her having a million different thoughts. You get interested in what she’s thinking and what’s going on. She can be very observant within a scene. It doesn’t always have to be about her directly, but we’re experiencing it through her. She just has that knack for pulling you in.”

Jyn can now join Daisy Ridley’s Rey from The Force Awakens as another inspiration to girls eager to fight for a good cause, but the character also has her own hero: Mon Mothma (played by Genevieve O’Reilly), the former Galactic Senator who is uniting the Rebel Alliance. There’s no doubt a lot of dudes make up the resistance fighting force, but women — such as Princess Leia at the diplomatic level, to Jyn on the battlefield — are its leaders.



“I would say there’s a huge amount of respect for women in the Rebellion. Mon Mothma is ultimately, for Jyn, someone she looks up to,” Jones says. “So even as the film opens [Jyn] has a very strong female role model in front of her, and someone she respects.”

At a time when the United States has just nominated its first female candidate for president, Jones says fantasy can change reality for the better by showing even more female action heroes. “It’s vital,” she says. “As we’re seeing in politics, it is a world where women are becoming leaders of nations, and films should be reflecting that.”

“I’m With Her” is already taken as a slogan in our world, but the infantry tough guys of Rogue One will be following a similar battle cry: “I’m With Erso.”

[GeneChing]

"Take hold of this moment"

Oooh, that gave me a chill. Can't wait for this.

[GeneChing]

More Felicity Kung Fu here.

Felicity Jones did kung fu every day for 'Rogue One'
PTI | Updated: Oct 23, 2016, 11:16 IST



Actress Felicity Jones reveals she had to do vigorous training in preparation for 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story'. The 33-year-old actress, who portrays Jyn Erso, was surprised by how much training she had to put herself through prior to shooting the upcoming epic space opera film.
"I've never done this level of physical preparation for something before. Particularly for 'Rogue One', where I was training every day and doing kung fu rehearsals on a daily basis. But that's part of the reason why I wanted to do it, because it was very different from what I'd done before."
'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story' is set to hit cinemas in the US on December 16.

[GeneChing]

James had the coolest Halloween costume of 2016.

donnieyenofficial
Follow



You can see we have the force!! 😆💪#Repost @sweetcil
・・・
Like father like son.
Thank you to our amazing Bullet films costume design team in HK for making this coolest #chirrutimwe costume for James!! And thx to #Disney for sending us the materials! #happyhalloween #starwars #rogueone #bulletfilms #donnieyen #甄子丹 @bulletfilmsofficial #lucasfilms
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donnieyenofficialYou can see we have the force!! 😆💪#Repost @sweetcil
・・・
Like father like son.
Thank you to our amazing Bullet films costume design team in HK for making this coolest #chirrutimwe costume for James!! And thx to #Disney for sending us the materials! #happyhalloween #starwars #rogueone #bulletfilms #donnieyen #甄子丹 @bulletfilmsofficial #lucasfilms

[GeneChing]

[GeneChing]

China trailer = more Donnie

[GeneChing]

Felicity Jones is proud of her kungfu skills
DECEMBER 11, 2016 ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIE NEWS, MOVIES, PEOPLE
BY AGENCY

Felicity Jones steps into the big league with Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, in an action blockbuster role that carries the first spin-off movie in the space franchise.

Jones, 33, is best known for her Oscar-nominated role as the wife of physicist Stephen Hawking in The Theory Of Everything and as Tom Hanks’ sidekick in the 2016 adventure Inferno.

Reuters spoke with the British actress about training for the role of rebel Jyn Erso and finding the Force for the movie which opens Dec 16. The following are edited excerpts.

How much idea of the film did you have when you got cast?

I didn’t know a great deal but I did know that she was going to be a rather extraordinary character because my agent said ‘I think you’re going to really like playing this part’. And so she was true to her word.

At what point did you go ‘Oh my god. I’m actually in a Star Wars film’?

It takes a while for it to drop … and then you think ‘Oh my god. I’ve got to get to the gym’. I got to start training really quickly and to get to the kind of level of fitness that you need for something like this. It is absolutely magical being on set even when … we would be doing a lot of military type scenes and running and kind of clambering out of our bunkers and having sand thrown in your face. But through all of that there is much joy in being part of it.

You studied kungfu, is that right?

I did yeah. I worked with this kungfu teacher who would constantly tell me to think like Tiger Girl, so that would be in my head before doing a fight sequence. I’d think ‘I’ve got to think like Tiger Girl’.

Does Jyn get to meet Darth Vader?

You have to wait and see.

How much of a Force user is Jyn?

She definitely has the Force within her. It’s her mother’s legacy really and the Force for Jyn is more about belief and hope.

Is she Rey’s mother?

(shakes head) – Reuters/Rollo Ross

Tiger Girl. That's funny. Master Dee Dee said a similar thing to Ally while coaching her for INTO THE BADLANDS.

[GeneChing]

The tradition of blind masters continues in a galaxy far, far away...

'Rogue One': Donnie Yen explains the hardest part of fighting blind
Carly Mallenbaum , USA TODAY 7:37 a.m. EST December 11, 2016

Actor Donnie Yen says the most difficult part of his role in 'Rogue One' was not the martial arts, it was playing a blind character.

In Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, the most skillful warrior (and perhaps most likable character) in the galaxy is Chirrut Îmwe. The spiritual character, played by renowned Chinese martial artist Donnie Yen, can do more with a stick than most can with a lightsaber.

And the character is blind.

Yen isn't visually-impaired in real life, but playing a blind character whose gaze is always forward presented challenges — most of which had nothing to do with fighting.

"I don't think that was the most difficult part because I've been in many of these, 70 of these (action) films before," he told USA TODAY on the Rogue One premiere carpet in Hollywood Saturday. "To me, the hardest part was I wasn't able to interact with my fellow actors. I wasn't able to look them in the eyes and draw on their reactions."


On the 'Rogue One' carpet, Donnie Yen told USA TODAY's Facebook Live viewers that no, he's not blind in real life. (Photo: Jason LaVeris, FilmMagic)

Another thing making Yen's job hard? Foggy contact lenses. They were so uncomfortable, Yen said, that he had to remove them every 20 minutes.

Rogue One, the first standalone Star Wars film, hits theaters Dec. 16.

[GeneChing]

It was all about Donnie, IMO. He was the most interesting character.

How to kick ass like martial arts master Liang Yang
The mentor taught Felicity Jones martial arts moves worthy of the 'Star Wars' franchise.
by Men's Fitness Editors



Though Liang Yang flexed his stunt-double chops in Skyfall and X-Men: First Class, he's more than just a stand-in.

The martial arts specialist has trained scores of actors for fight scenes: He worked with Daisy Ridley for Star Wars: The Force Awakens (he even acted, playing TR8R, aka the Stormtrooper who calls Finn a ‘Traitor!’ before the two battle) and he trained Felicity Jones for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, a prequel in the Star Wars canon, which opened on Friday.

Jones plays saboteur Jyn Erso, a soldier in the rebel Alliance who's involved in numerous fight scenes. So Yang concentrated on her coordination and strength.

He used full-impact pad drills ("This helped her crouch in many of the low fighting stances") and boosted her spatial awareness and lower-body strength in a weeks-long boot camp where she learned to perfect, among other moves, high-impact lunges and all manner of high and low kicks.

"Felicity's fitness level was good," Yang says. "But martial arts training is very different from other workouts."

Men’s Fitness spoke with Yang about how he prepped Jones and others in the Rogue One cast to hone their various martial arts skill-sets.



MF: A film like Rogue One requires a certain amount of athleticism, so did you put the cast through any specific fitness tests and then tailor your training to their fitness levels?

LY: For all cast members we do assessments to see their fitness levels and what their general movement is like. This provides an idea of how we should train them and then what particular fighting style works for their character. It depends on the scene we need to prepare for; if it’s a specific fight scene, for example, we assess their general movements whilst punching and using kick pads. We used this assessment, alongside the character's role, to choose a suitable fighting style so that training would be fluid and specifically tailored for this actor/actress alone.

MF: What discussions did you have with Gareth [Edwards, the director] for how he wanted the action to look in the film?

LY: He wanted the martial arts in the film to have a grounded, realistic feel.

MF: Who among the cast was a natural and took easily to your training?

LY: All the cast members have a strong work ethic towards their craft, which was shown throughout their rigorous martial arts training. Everyone was committed, dedicated and put in endless effort to mastering this type of art for their given characters.

MF: How did the martial arts training differ between Rogue One and The Force Awakens? Are there any new elements the cast had to train in?

LY: Rogue One is a standalone movie and the new characters are diverse, with each demonstrating a unique style. Felicity’s fighting style is direct whereas Chirrut Imwe’s [played by Donnie Yen] style is flamboyant. The creative team allowed us to stretch our imaginations in martial arts ideas to create fighting styles to suit each character.

As we got to understand Felicity’s character, we all decided to make her very strong, powerful and her attacking style very direct. As Donnie is a master in martial arts himself, we gathered his input in creating his flamboyant fighting style.

By contrast, in The Force Awakens the main characters’ fighting styles continued along the Jedi Knights style of light sabres and using the force.

MF: For Felicity, then, did you have to put her through a boot camp before the martial arts training began or were her fitness levels ready to go?

LY: Felicity exercises regularly on her own, but when we started with Felicity, we knew she had no form of martial arts training. Coordination and spatial awareness in a fight scene is vital, especially when multiple opponents are involved, and Felicity had many fight scenes where she had to perform a number of dynamic movements involving blocking, attacking, switching directions, and aiming at lower and upper parts of the body. All these high impact movements had to be timed precisely and at full speed.

We also knew Felicity needed a lot of leg and waist strength because most of the power in a fight originates from there. She had to work very hard practicing leg movements in specific martial arts stances that strengthened her legs as well as increased her flexibility. All of this enabled her to crouch in many of the low stances appropriate when fighting.

At the same time, Felicity’s character had to do a lot of big movements. These involved a lot of high impact lunges and dynamic movements, so it was important to help improve Felicity’s flexibility in order to avoid any injuries while at the same time allowing her to express herself physically through her performance.

MF: So is there a sample workout that you put her and the rest of the cast through?

LY: The fitness instructor for the cast and myself collaborated, and as a martial artist, our strength training is comprised of different methods compared to a fitness trainer's methods.

For example, in leg workouts, a fitness trainer would use leg weights, squats or even jumping in terms of doing repetition to build muscle. Whereas implementing martial arts fighting stances such as Bow stance, Crouching stance, or Horse stance, the body posture, balance and coordination when moving builds all types of muscles throughout the entire lower body which includes legs and core.

We helped the cast built arm strength when rehearsing attacking and defending weapons fight sequences. However, not only focusing exclusively on strength, as speed, control and explosive power is fundamentally important to work on a daily basis.

MF: Because much of the moves are grounded in being flexible, was there any training that sought to improve their flexibility?

LY: Every session consisted of a warm up and warm down routine. To warm up, we did some light cardio jogging, and then a variety of leg stretches. They’d stretch their hamstring, do some bow stretches, butterfly stretches and frog stretches, as well as neck circles.

The hips are so important to martial arts. That’s where all of the flexibility and coordination comes from. If we learned that someone had never done any martial arts training before, we knew the flexibility in their hips needed improvement for the demands required for their character role. I’d assign daily homework of the face down frog stretch—you’re kneeling down wide with your elbows on the floor parallel to your hips. Where you gradually open up your groin to as wide as possible and hold this position for at least five minutes.

At first, it will seem easy and simple but after the first minute the pain begins to kick in.

MF: What differed in how you approached the film training-wise?

LY: For all of the cast—not just Felicity—we focused on those three tenets of flexibility, coordination, and strength. It is important for any fighting style to work on these areas. Each day, we’d first warm up and stretch before we began coordination drills, which used full impact pad work and included punching and kicking. We also focused on allowing the actors to express their character’s aggression to connect with the scene.

Then if an actor needs help on specific techniques, we employed drills that worked on strengthening arms, legs, posture, and stance.

Once we set a base level of flexibility and strength, we felt comfortable to finally begin rehearsing the fight choreography. During the course of all of this training, though, if there were specific areas that an actor is uncomfortable with, whether because of the training or not feeling up to executing the fight scene, we would then break it down and work on that specific section with the actor until they are happy with it.

[GeneChing]

Like I said before, R1 was all about Donnie for me.

'Rogue One' star and fan favorite Donnie Yen almost passed on the film


Donnie Yen as Chirrut Imwe in the film "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story." (Jonathan Olley / Lucasfilm / TNS)
Josh Rottenberg

You’d think pretty much any actor alive who can do a halfway decent flying kick would jump at the chance to play a martial-arts-fighting, Force-sensitive monk in a “Star Wars” movie. But internationally known action star Donnie Yen initially resisted the idea of signing on to play Chirrut Îmwe in “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.” To put it in Jedi terms, Chirrut was simply not the role he was looking for.

A key player in the Rebel mission to steal the Death Star plans, capable of single-handedly taking out a squadron of Stormtroopers with just a wooden staff and his trust in the Force, Chirrut has now become one of the major breakout characters in “Rogue One.” And it’s safe to say Yen is glad he came around.

We spoke to Yen, 53, earlier this month at the Lucasfilm headquarters in San Francisco about why he resisted joining “Rogue One,” how the deadly but deadpan character evolved and how his presence in the film could impact the box office in China.

How did you get involved in “Rogue One” to begin with?

Oh goodness, to be honest, it sounds crazy. My agent called me and he said, “Disney is looking for you and they want you to be in ‘Star Wars.’” At first I said, ‘OK, they probably want me to swing the light saber against Darth Vader or something.’ Then [director] Gareth [Edwards] called me and started telling me that there would be no Jedi in the movie and about this particular character.

It’s crazy but I was hesitant about taking this role. I was flattered but at the same time I didn’t want to leave my family for five months to go to London, because I just got off another movie.

I turned to my children and I said, “Do you like baba’s ‘Ip Man’ series?” — because I’m known to Western audiences for ‘Ip Man.’ “Or do you want baba to be in ‘Star Wars’?” They went, “‘Star Wars,’ of course!”

I said, ‘Wait a minute — there’s something special there.’ Then my friends and family and fanboys, everybody was so excited and I realized, this is not just making a movie. You’re making history here. So that’s how I got involved, and I’m so glad I did.

The original “Star Wars” trilogy wasn’t released in China at the time. Did you have any connection to the franchise growing up?

I spent some years living in Boston as a teenager, and I saw “A New Hope” and “Empire Strikes Back” there. But I’ve been in the business 35 years and I never expected to be in “Star Wars.” That never sunk in until in the middle of making the film: “I’m in ‘Star Wars’ — how cool is that!”

How did Gareth initially pitch his take on the movie and who Chirrut would be?

I asked him a very blunt, frank question: “Why do you want me to be in your film? The China market? The Asian market?” Because originally I thought, ‘Oh, they just want me to kick some Stormtrooper’s butt.’

And he said no, that he watches all my films and he wants a very specific persona in Chirrut by Donnie Yen. That was very flattering, and that was the answer I was looking for.

Then when I started reading the script, I realized that I get to say the coolest lines. Chirrut is not a Jedi but he has all the lines of “Star Wars” metaphor. You know, “May the Force be with you.” “I’m one with the Force and I fear nothing.”

I mean, what more can I want? People die to do this — and I have the coolest lines!

You’ve obviously done many martial-arts movies but have you ever had to do fight scenes in which you were supposed to be blind?

No, never. I thought that was really challenging. I underestimated that situation.

How Chirrut ended up being blind was a collaboration of me and Gareth. During the process, we were talking about different possibilities and he was asking my opinions. I said, “I want this character not to be so clichéd. I’ve played this character thousands of times — this type of bad-ass, skillful warrior hero. I want him to be grounded. I want him to be human, even vulnerable. Wouldn’t it be interesting to have him blind?”

He liked the idea, Disney loved it — and Chirrut ended up being blind.

The other thing that was very important to me is: “Listen, I know he’s a true believer and he’s constantly preaching his philosophies. But let’s make him like you and I: He has a sense of humor. He gets it. He can have a beer with you.”

Those are two things I’m glad this character ended up having.

How was it actually performing the fight scenes without really being able to see?

I’ve done choreography all my life and that, to me, was not a problem. But having the contact lenses and having to take them off every three hours and have a rest — and on top of that, every 30 seconds they have to put drops in my eyes. It was very irritating. It was very blurry. It was hard to judge distance. But that was OK because I’m supposed to be blind anyway.

I relied on my instincts and experience from many movies. That wasn’t the most difficult part. The most difficult part was not being able to interact with my fellow actors. I wasn’t able to look them in the eyes to inform the action. I didn’t want to look robotic — no offense to Alan [Tudyk, who plays droid K-2SO]. But at the same time, I had to have that kind of blank state of mind.

Over the summer, there were reports of extensive reshoots on “Rogue One,” and people were speculating about whether the film was in trouble and how much was being changed. How much was true and how much was just rumors?

This Internet today, you never know the whole story — and even if you do, there are so many angles of looking at the matter.

I’ve never done a movie that has no reshoots. The most important thing is that, at the end, you see a good movie. These are the processes. You have to filter the materials — that’s the artistic process.

The greatest painter — he’s not going to get it the first time. He’ll do a couple of brush strokes here, a couple of brush strokes here.

The “Star Wars” franchise still isn’t as deeply established in China as it is in other parts of the world. You said you didn’t want to be cast simply to help boost the Asian box office. But have you gotten any sense that audiences in China are more excited about “Rogue One” because you’re in it?

I would like to think so [laughs]. After all, the film business is business. It’s supply and demand, right? China is the biggest audience in the world. If I’m a producer, I would put Chinese actors like myself in a film — it just makes sense. It’s the right thing to do.

Also, I think morally, the world we live in today should be this way. It should be diverse and in peace and unity to make a better place.

[GeneChing]

I've had one person comment that Jiang Wen's character reminded them of me. Finally, FINALLY, I can do some Star Wars cosplay.

Inclusion of Chinese stars Donnie Yen and Jiang Wen raises 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story' hype in China
2016-12-22 03:20:31 GMT2016-12-22 11:20:31(Beijing Time) Global Times


Promotional material for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story featuring Jiang Wen (left) and Donnie Yen Photo: ICPromotional material for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story featuring Jiang Wen (left) and Donnie Yen Photo: IC

While Star Wars: The Force Awakens received a lukewarm reception in the Chinese mainland last year, the newest entry into the franchise looks poised to turn things around.
With their film dominating the North American box office by raking in $155 million during its debut three-day weekend, the film's producers quickly launched a limited showing and a star-meet activity on Tuesday and Wednesday in Beijing, weeks before the film's official Chinese mainland release on January 6.
"There is a lot to expect from the performances of Jiang Wen and Donnie Yen... The action scene in which Yen fights against the stormtroopers with a staff was fantastic," netizen dianying wanjia posted on Sina Weibo, giving the latest Star Wars film, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, four and half stars out of five after the advanced screening of the film on Tuesday.

Market targeting

One of the barriers for last year's The Force Awakens was that it was the first Star Wars film to come to the mainland, which raised the barrier of entry for non-fans of the franchise.
The new film, however, seems to stand a better chance now that mainland audiences are more aware of the Star Wars brand. But the producers also have another two weapons in their arsenal: Jiang and Yen. The choice to include these two popular Chinese stars as supporting roles in the film may prove to be an effective market move by the producers.
Jiang is a well-known mainland actor and director whose works include In the Heat of the Sun (1994), Devils on the Doorstep (2000) and Let the Bullets Fly (2010). While he is not a very productive filmmaker, Jiang's roles and directorial works have been very well-received.
Hong Kong actor Yen, on the other hand, is one of the most popular action stars in China, and probably the second best-known Chinese action star after Jackie Chan globally. His recent roles include kung fu master Ip Man in the Ip Man franchise.
Earlier this year, The Force Awakens earned 826 million yuan ($118.90 million) at the mainland box office, ranking it at No.12 on the 2016 box-office chart at the moment. While not a small amount, these earnings accounted for only 6 percent of the film's $2.06 billion global revenue. Whereas, Warcraft's Chinese mainland box office made up nearly half of its global earnings that same year. A major reason behind The Force Awakens' weak performance in the Chinese market was that it didn't strike a chord among non-Star Wars fans.

Another try

Rogue One is not the first Hollywood blockbuster to bring in Chinese stars in order to increase its chances in China.
In 2014's X-Men: Days of Future Past, mainland actress Fan Bingbing was invited to play a mutant known as Blink. Yet with her appearing for only a few seconds, Fan's role disappointed Chinese audiences. Last June's Independence Day: Resurgence saw Chinese actress Yang Yin play a supporting role, and also featured a military base on the Moon built by the Chinese. However, Yang was criticized for giving a rigid performance, while the blatant produce placement of Chinese brands left many in China feeling awkward.
Although many Chinese netizens suspected that Jiang and Yen's inclusion in Rogue One was yet another pure market-driven choice as well, the two stars have much bigger roles in the film than previous attempts to include Chinese actors. Meanwhile, the film currently holds a high score of 8.1/10 on Chinese film site Mtime and a 7.8/10 on Chinese media review site Douban. Positive feedback from audiences who have already seen the film outside the mainland has helped hype the movie among domestic moviegoers.
The film has already released in Taiwan and Hong Kong. So far, reviews from local critics and audiences have been fairly positive.
In its review, unwire.hk said that although the spinoff film didn't feature light sabers or the Force, the action scenes were far better than The Force Awakens.
"It has similar problems that Dawn of Justice had," the review said, explaining that character motivations and character building are weak.
However, in general the site was positive toward the film, especially praising scenes involving Yen.
"Recent years have seen many Chinese actors in Hollywood blockbusters, but in most cases they only show up to give one or two lines… the role Yen plays has many scenes and is impressive."
A netizen in Taipei going by the name Judy gave the film three out of five stars on Douban, saying that while she was disappointed in the story, she enjoyed the action scenes.
"Jiang and Yen do stand out," she wrote.

[GeneChing]

#StarWars
'Rogue One' Star Jiang Wen Has Never Seen Star Wars!
December 29, 2016 at 08:48AM


Jiang Wen's Baze in 'Rogue One'. [Credit: Lucasfilm]
By Tom Bacon, writer at CREATORS.CO
I'm a film-and-TV fan who grew up with a deep love of superhero comics! Follow me on Twitter @TomABacon or on Facebook @tombaconsuperheroes!

We all know the story of Star Wars: in 1977, film-maker George Lucas sealed his place in history with the unexpected sci-fi blockbuster hit, starring Mark Hamill's Luke Skywalker, Harrison Ford's Han Solo, and the late, great Carrie Fisher as Leia Organa. The latest Star Wars movie, Rogue One, is proving itself to be a box office hit in its own right, all the more astounding given the film's a standalone that doesn't even feature the core cast.

Now, in an amazing twist, it seems that - as beloved as Star Wars may be to Western audiences - one of the stars of #RogueOne had never even seen the movies!

Meet Jiang Wen - The Star Wars Hero Who's NEVER SEEN Star Wars!


Baze and Chirrut in 'Rogue One'. [Credit: Lucasfilm]

In conversation with Empire, the cast of Rogue One surprised us all with a revelation. Rogue One director Gareth Edwards was explaining that he took some unusual steps with Rogue One, not the least of which was casting the franchise's first Asian actors, superstars Donnie Yen and Jiang Wen, as Chirrut and Baze. As he explained, the rationale was simple:

"It feels right that there'd be Asian characters in Star Wars, because it's got such Asian influences. And because it's Star Wars, you can kind of go for anyone: "Who are the best Asian actors in the world?""

To his amazement though, he learned that Jiang Wen — who played Baze Malbus — had never seen Star Wars! Adding to the humor of the situation, Edwards begged Jiang Wen not to watch it. He just found so much humor in the idea of Jiang Wen getting to the premiere of Rogue One without having seen the originals!

Why Hasn't Jiang Wen Seen Star Wars?

You have to understand that the world of 1977 was a very different place. Although we typically hear about the history of the Cold War with regards to the USA and Russia, relations between the USA and China had been pretty tense as well. It wasn't until 1979 - two years after the release of A New Hope - that the US established formal diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China. China's official "One China Principle," which insists on Chinese ownership of Taiwan, remained a diplomatic roadblock even through the 1980s, although Ronald Reagan successfully built stronger relationships with the Chinese government.

However the end of the 1980s saw everything change; with the USSR falling apart at the seams, the Chinese government likewise faced calls for reform. Their response was brutal, with the famous massacre at Tiananmen Square. President George H. W. Bush took a conciliatory tone, reluctantly imposing sanctions but sending an envoy to China to assure the leaders of his support. As historian Warren Cohen notes:

"Businessmen in the United States, much like those in Japan and elsewhere, clamored for the opportunity to buy, sell, and invest in China. Beijing recognized that it need not carry out political liberalization to be guaranteed an end to the most onerous sanctions—and it did not."

George Bush. [Credit: Wikipedia Commons]

As the decades have passed, the Chinese government has gradually relaxed restrictions, and allowed US movies to release in China. That said, the releases are highly regulated, with only a small number of foreign films allowed box office showings, while until this year the government appears to have imposed unofficial 'blackout' periods. This allowed local films to air without competition at peak viewing times, such as the Chinese New Year, mid-Summer and December.

Still, this historical background means there's a very simple reason Jiang Wen hasn't seen Star Wars. As he explains:

"When I grew up, there were no American movies in China. That was Cold War time, so no Star Wars."

Good News, Fans!

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Jiang Wen @BazeJiangWen
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This is clearly just one of those amusing quirks of history, but in good news for Star Wars fans everywhere it seems Jiang Wen aims to fill that gap in his knowledge. No longer under Edwards' restriction, he told Empire:

"I will see it after I finish this movie, from beginning to end."

There's a brilliant irony to the fact that one of the stars of Rogue One, the first Star Wars spinoff, hadn't actually seen the movies before he made his debut in the franchise. Given that the Guardians of the Whills are sure to crop up some more, we may yet see Jiang Wen return in other spinoffs, though presumably set at an earlier point in time.

By then, he's probably going to have watched the films!

I brought up the fact that most Chinese had not seen the original Star Wars trilogy in my Chollywood Rising column in our NOV+DEC 2016 issue.

[GeneChing]

This reminds me of all the Bruce Lee posthumous CGIs. Remember the ping pong one? Of course you do. I just rewatched Game of Death again recently and was struck by how that could be redone now via CGI (I should review that...)

Fri Dec 30, 2016 | 3:39pm EST
Actors seek posthumous protections after big-screen resurrections


FILE PHOTO - Carrie Fisher poses for cameras as she arrives at the European Premiere of Star Wars, The Force Awakens in Leicester Square, London, December 16, 2015. REUTERS/Paul Hackett/File Photo


FILE PHOTO: Chewbacca, the eight-foot tall, 200 year-old 'wookie' character from 'Star Wars,' gives his acceptance speech in his own tongue upon receiving the MTV Movie Awards Lifetime Achievement from Carrie Fisher (L), who played Princess Leia Organa in the same movie, June 7, 1997. REUTERS/File Photo

By Lisa Richwine and Jill Serjeant | LOS ANGELES/NEW YORK

Tuesday's death of actor Carrie Fisher, who played Princess Leia in "Star Wars," set off waves of remembrance among fans - but also speculation over her character's return in yet-to-be-filmed episodes.

Filmmakers are tapping advances in digital technology to resurrect characters after a performer dies, most notably in "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story." The film, in theaters now, features the return of Grand Moff Tarkin, originally played by a long-dead actor.

The trend has sent Hollywood actors in the here-and-now scrambling to exert control over how their characters and images are portrayed in the hereafter.

"Celebrities are increasingly involved in making plans to protect their intellectual property rights," said Mark Roesler, an attorney and chairman of CMG Worldwide, an agency representing celebrity estates. "They understand that their legacy will continue beyond their lifetime."

Roesler said at least 25 of his clients are engaged in actively negotiating the use of their or their loved ones' computer-generated images in movies, television or commercials. Employment contracts govern how they can be used in a particular film or commercial, while a performer's will can address broader issues.

Some actors or heirs worry that overexposure will tarnish a celebrity's image, Roesler said. Some explicitly rule out posthumous depictions involving sex or violence, while others focus on drugs or alcohol.

"We have seen people address marijuana," he said. "We've seen liquor addressed."

California law already gives heirs control over actors' posthumous profits by requiring their permission for any of use of their likeness. As technology has improved, many living actors there are more focused on steering their legacy with stipulations on how their images are used - or by forbidding their use.

Robin Williams, who committed suicide in 2014, banned any use of his image for commercial means until 2039, according to court documents. He also blocked anyone from digitally inserting him into a movie or TV scene or using a hologram, as was done with rapper Tupac Shakur at Southern California's Coachella music festival in 2012 - 16 years after his murder.

Virtual characters have been used when an actor dies in the middle of a film production, as when Universal Pictures combined CGI and previous footage for Paul Walker's role in 2015's "Furious 7" after Walker's 2013 death in a car crash.

But "Rogue One" broke new ground by giving a significant supporting role to a dead star. A digital embodiment of British actor Peter Cushing, who died in 1994, reprised his role from the original 1997 "Star Wars" film as Tarkin.

Walt Disney Co (DIS.N) recreated Tarkin with a mix of visual effects and a different actor.

A Disney spokeswoman declined to comment on whether Princess Leia would appear in films beyond "Episode VIII," set for release in 2017. Fisher had wrapped filming for the next "Star Wars" episode before she died. She suffered a heart attack on a flight from London to Los Angeles.

Fisher had been expected to play a key role in the ninth installment of the sci-fi saga, due for release in 2019.

Fisher's attorney, Frederick Bimbler, did not return requests for information on any stipulations the actress may have made about use of her image.

Disney bought "Star Wars" producer Lucasfilm in 2012 for $4 billion. The two new films since released have sold some $2.7 billion worth of tickets and boosted sales of toys and other related merchandise.

Disney would need to negotiate "re-use fees" with Fisher's estate to resurrect her character for future films, said Mark Litwak, an entertainment attorney in Los Angeles.

The rights of actors' heirs are rooted in a 1985 California law requiring filmmakers to obtain permission from a celebrity's estate to use his or her image after death. The law was enacted after a campaign by the son of Dracula actor Bela Lugosi, a lawyer who objected to widespread use of his late father's image.

With today's movie technology opening up so many possible scenarios, actors' union SAG-AFTRA is lobbying for all states to enact protections on the use of celebrity images after they die.

Minnesota began considering such legislation this year following the death of music legend Prince, who was from Minneapolis.

"The issue for us is straightforward and clear: The use of performers' work in this manner has obvious economic value and should be treated accordingly," a SAG-AFTRA spokesperson said.

Celebrity deaths often spur big increases in sales of music and movies. Michael Jackson and Elvis Presley regularly top Forbes list of dead celebrities with annual earnings of tens of millions of dollars.

If Disney decides to resurrect Leia, the costs could go much higher than what it might have to pay her surviving family.

The technology and time involved in CGI recreations for major roles can make the prospect more costly than hiring even a first-tier actor.

"It's very expensive," Litwak said.

What about other characters in the blockbuster franchise?

James Earl Jones, who is 85, provided the menacing voice for Darth Vader in the original "Star Wars" trilogy, in an animated TV series and again in "Rogue One." An assistant to Jones declined to comment on whether any provisions are in place regarding use of his voice after his death.

A bigger question for film-makers and fans is whether the technology provides a realistic portrayal, Litwak said.

"Most people in the movie industry don't think it's quite there yet," he said. "It's amazing what they can do, but it's not as good as a real actor. It still seems a bit artificial."

Tarkin's resurrection in "Rogue One" sparked debate among fans over whether the portrayal was realistic, with some complaining it did not look human enough to be convincing.

"Does Disney want to have people scrutinizing how real that synthetic character is, rather than talking about the movie itself?" he asked about the prospect of Leia's return. "It would be a distraction."


(Reporting by Lisa Richwine in Los Angeles and Jill Serjeant in New York; editing by Tiffany Wu and Brian Thevenot)