SHANGHAI – Donnie Yen is to star in "Painted
Skin," a rare Chinese supernatural actioner being put together as a
China-Singapore co-production.
The $10 million budget period pic is to be jointly helmed by Wilson Yip
Wai-shun (who previously directed Yen in "Dragon Tiger Gate," and Andy Chin
Wing-keung ("Dragon Chronicles".) Chin and Yen also produce.
Pic will lense in China in the final quarter of this
year or early 2008, with dates likely dependent on sked of as yet uncast female
lead. Pic also features Singapore's Qi YuWu ("Home Song
Stories".) With large digital effects quotient, pic is scheduled for delivery end 2008.
Story about a love hate relationship between a vixen spirit and a group
of humans is adapted from series of Chinese classic stories "Strange Tales of
Liaozhai."
Production was initiated by Beijing Time Entertainment, which brought on
board Singapore's MediaCorp
Raintree Pictures and from China Ningxia Film Studio, Beijing New Film
Association, Beijing Ding Long Da Media and Shanghai Film Group and Salon Films
from Hong Kong as investor partners. Array of
Chinese partners means that pic will qualify as mainland production and be
eligible of local release.
World sales will be handled by Hong Kong-based facilities group Salon.
Beijing Time will handle Chinese theatrical release, while Raintree has taken
rights in Singapore and
Malaysia.
Production design is by Chung Man-yee with Tung Wai signed up as action
director.
Ghosts feature prominently in Chinese literature, but rarely make it to
the big screen. Censors have long frowned on the genre for fear it will upset
the masses. Helmer Teng Huatao and private sector production house Huayi
Brothers recently delivered China's first full on ghost story
"The Matrimony" (Variety review, May 15, 2007) which played at Tribeca fest.
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