August 22, 2013, 7:06 AM
Can This Man Fill Jet Li’s Shoes?
By Dean Napolitano
Eddie Peng, right, will take on the role in the upcoming film ‘Rise of the Legend.’
Eddie Peng has some big shoes to fill.
In “Rise of the Legend,” the Taiwanese actor will star as martial artist Wong Fei-hung, a role made famous by two of Hong Kong’s biggest kung-fu stars: Jet Li and Jackie Chan.
The filmmakers said they are looking to reinvent the character with a “bold new spin.”
Wong, a real-life martial-arts master from China’s Guangdong province who came to prominence during the late Qing dynasty, has been popularized over the decades in numerous films and television series.
Many movie-goers best know the character as a role that helped catapult Jet Li to international stardom in a series of films that began in 1991 with “Once Upon a Time in China.” Even before that, Jackie Chan famously played Wong in his star-making 1978 hit “Drunken Master.”
Their portrayals of Wong, each in their distinct big-screen styles, are etched in the minds of kung-fu fans around the world, and it remains to be seen whether they’ll be receptive to a new vision, which director Roy Chow has promised.
“It’s been almost 20 years since the last Wong Fei-hung movie was made,” Mr. Chow said in a statement. “I aim to portray the legendary character from a different angle — a young man with dream. His dream is the only thing that holds him together. His youth gives him the power of persistence and endurance, and shapes him to become a legend.”
But can Mr. Peng pull it off?
The 31-year-old actor isn’t known as a martial-arts star, but he has a few things working for him.
Over the past few years, Mr. Peng has established himself as an accomplished physical performer. In his latest film, “Unbeatable,” which opened last week around Asia, Mr. Peng plays a novice boxer competing against mixed-martial artists in big-money tournaments.
Mr. Peng went through months of grueling training, telling the Journal in a recent interview that his boxing background helped prepare him tackle the role.
He also took on gymnastics for his role in 2011’s “Jump Ashin!”
Second, he’s a known quantity as a romantic leading man following the recent comedy-dramas “Love” and “A Wedding Invitation.”
The film also stands to gain a huge stamp of credibility from the presence of martial-arts star Sammo Hung, who plays Wong’s mentor in the film, and action director Corey Yuen, who has collaborated with Jet Li on several high-profile movies.
Finally, the producing team is led by Bill Kong, the man behind “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” — which, more than 12 years after its release, remains the gold standard for globally successfully Chinese films — and last year’s hit “Cold War,” which also starred Mr. Peng.
All that doesn’t guarantee a hit movie, but it stands a fighting chance. And audiences will find out next year when “Rise of the Legend” is scheduled for release.
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Originally Posted by GeneChing
