Nov 11, 2021 4:04am PT
‘Ip Man: Kung Fu Legend’ Secures North American Release (EXCLUSIVE)
By Patrick Frater
All Rights Entertainment
Magnet Releasing, the genre arm of Magnolia Pictures, has acquired North American rights to “Ip Man: Kung Fu Legend.” The film is a currently in-production sequel to “Ip Man: Kung Fu Master,” which Magnet previously released.
“Ip Man: Kung Fu Legend” is written and directed by Li Liming and produced by Beijing-based Kai Pictures. International licensing is handled by All Rights Entertainment, a film sales company based in Hong Kong, Paris and Los Angeles.
The real-life Ip Man was mentor to Bruce Lee before Lee became a movie star and has been the subject of multiple film franchises. The new film sees the young Ip, then a police captain, fight opium traffickers trying to take control of the mainland Chinese port city of Foshan.
Dennis To (aka To Yu-hang) reprises the role of Ip for the fourth time following previous appearances in Herman Yau’s “Ip Man: The Legend Is Born,” Jeff Lau’s “Kung Fu League,” and Li’s “Ip Man: Kung Fu Master.” To, who equals the track record of Donnie Yen who played Ip in a different franchise, was credited by Ip Chun as delivering the most accurate depiction of his father.
The deal was negotiated by Magnolia EVP Dori Begley and SVP of acquisitions John Von Thaden, and by All Rights sales executive Chantal Chauzy.
“Ip Man: Kung Fu Master” was watched 10 million times in its first few days of release online in China. In international markets it was licensed to distibutors including Splendid Film for Germany, Happinet in Japan, Phars Film in the Middle-East, Blue Swan in Italy.
Magnolia’s recent releases include Takashi Miike’s 100th film “Blade of the Immortal”; Mads Mikkelsen revenge-thriller “Riders of Justice”; and action thriller “Yakuza Princess.”
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