DISPATCHES FROM THE FORBIDDEN KINGDOM : Tracking Jackie and Jet to a filmic frontier.
Hong Kong producers have pursued the pairing of Jackie Chan and Jet Li for years. They were once meant to team for a reworking of the DeNiro vehicle Midnight Run, and at one time were discussing a period swordplay epic. The stars finally aligned for a reworking of the Monkey King legend, known for some months by the code name ‘The J and J Project’, and now entitled The Forbidden Kingdom.
The project came about due to the persistence of American producer Casey Silver, who developed the property and structured a deal that appealed to the two titans of martial arts cinema. Working with the Beijing-based Huayi Brothers, he assembled a production team worthy of these two martial heroes. Leading the charge is an old friend of mine, Rob Minkoff, who, as a director of such animated hits as Lion King and Stuart Little, was a perfect choice to helm this project. Jackie and Jet themselves move like live action versions of anime characters, especially when choreographed, as they are in this film, by veteran martial arts maestro Yuen Woo-ping. Directly behind the camera is Oscar-winning cinematographer Peter Pau (of Crouching Tiger fame) and overseeing this whole vibrant tapestry is veteran producer Rafaella DeLaurentiis.
All of the above were on hand for the final days of shooting at the Hengdian Studios, three hours drive from the city of Hangzhou. As TWC are (with Lions Gate) distributing the film in North America and elsewhere, I flew in to touch base with the principals, and was graciously received. By all accounts, it has been a challenging but rewarding shoot. Strumming his guitar in his villa on the grounds of the Hengdian Grand (ha!) Hotel, Rob observed that every character in the film had a real-life counterpart on the cast and crew. After he realized this was the case, Rob found himself able to foretell on-set events with remarkable accuracy!
Jackie and Jet are an interesting study in opposites: one never stops and one never starts! Jackie is a constant flurry of motion on the set, while Jet is more quiet and reflective. Jet is, in reality, akin to the ‘silent monk’ he plays in the film. (Originally, the character was Tripitaka from the classic Journey To The West, until Jet pointed out that Tripitaka wouldn’t fight!) Though he denies belief in any religion, Jackie is much more the smiling bodhisattva, dispensing his crazy wisdom at every opportunity. The strength of Forbidden Kingdom lies in the successful union of these opposites, which, as Rob cannily observed, exists on camera and off.
I join Jackie at a dinner held in a basement restaurant of the Grand Hotel. He’s just completed his last shot of the film, and is his usual ebullient self as he greets the gathering with his usual energy. I see a number of familiar faces: Li Bing-bing, with whom I worked on Dragon Heat, has a major role in Forbidden Kingdom. She’s happily surprised (I think!) to see me. I’m the one surprised when I see Aaron Ngo, who gave me the chance to work on the film High Voltage, soon after I first arrived in Hong Kong. I was an associate producer on this Donnie Yen cop action vehicle. (Aaron observes, correctly, that Donnie’s recent hits, Killzone and Flashpoint, both DD release, have been in the same vein as High Voltage!) Aaron is Rob Minkoff’s assistant on Forbidden Kingdom.
Fellow guests at the dinner include two icons from the golden years of kung fu cinema: Tsui Siu-keung, who appears in many Shaw Brothers epics, including 36th Chamber Of Shaolin, and Leung Kar-yan, of Warriors Two and Dreadnaught fame. (Dreadnaught is an upcoming Dragon Dynasty release, and I hope to have a new interview with its star on the disc.) Also on hand are the requisite members of the Jackie Chan Stunt Team. These include Wu Gong, who learned perfect English while traveling to every state in America with the Ringling Brothers circus. (I turn to Rob: If there isn’t a movie in that…)
I first met Jackie at Golden Harvest studios when I was 19 years old. He was shooting Dragon Lord, and Yuen Woo-ping was simultaneously directing Miracle Fighters and action directing Ronny Yu’s The Postman Strikes Back. Sammo Hung was shooting Prodigal Son. (Those were the days!) As he refills my class with a particularly potent red wine, I ask Jackie if Forbidden Kingdom presented any special challenges. Just the English!, he joked. Too much English! I can still fight all day, no problem, but when I see how much dialogue… He shakes his head. How about working with Jet? No problem! Just fun every day, hard work, but fun. Everything fun except the English dialogue!
There’s a clash of cultures when David Carradine (see previous blog) crashes the party. He’s staying at the same hotel while he shoots the telefeature White Crane, and Jackie greets him warmly. As the evening winds down, Jackie bids his farewells, hugging young star Michael Angarano so tightly that I swear I hear a rib crack.
The Jackie and Jet project looks set to deliver on the high expectations, and I’m proud that TWC is playing a part in bringing it from the Forbidden Kingdom to a theatre near you.
Comments
- Popeye, Minneapolis, MN | 2007-08-27 17:30:12
- Esco, Connecticut. USA | 2007-08-26 20:52:12
- J, CT | 2007-08-27 10:42:47
- lilyma, BJ | 2007-08-28 13:22:51
- Esco, Connecticut, USA | 2007-09-01 19:41:45
- Nayan Bhula\, Mclean, VA | 2007-08-29 09:43:28