"Infernal Affairs" director Andrew Lau Wai-kung and leading Hong Kong studio Media Asia have reteamed to produce big-budget Chinese-language actioner "Water Margin."
Pic
is an adaptation of one of China's four classic novels and sees 108
outlaws form a resistance movement to oppose the feudal king. Story was
previously made as a movie by Shaw Bros. and helmer Chang Cheh and had been adapted for TV and as a comicbook.
"This
is a story that everyone in China knows well," Lau said. "We (see) this
as a three-part franchise with me directing the first movie and Johnnie To doing the second and me acting as producer."
Budget is pegged at some HK$2 billion ($250 million) for the trilogy.
Media
Asia has financed development, costume and weapon design and scouting
to date, and is in talks with mainland China's China Film Group
as co-financier. Lau, one of the rare Hong Kong directors comfortable
with large-scale studio shoots, intends the pic to be one of the first
to make use of the new 16-stage studio complex that CFG is building at
Huairou, near Beijing.
Lau, who recently signed a Hong Kong
representation and production deal with Media Asia, is also readying
three Asian-themed, English-language movies at Qi. Shingle is a U.S.
company owned jointly with "24" producer Tony Krantz, which has a multipicture deal with the Weinstein Co.
As well as the "Infernal Affairs" trilogy, which were co-helmed with Alan Mak, Lau previously directed both "Confession of Pain" and hit street race movie "Initial D" for Media Asia.
Helmer may appear on U.S. screens sooner than that. "The Flock," a drama he made for Bauer-Martinez that was held up by disagreements over cut, has now been finished by its star Richard Gere. Lau said pic will likely be released in December.
© Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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