Father Geek here with the 1st report of 2001 by our uncanny, formidable far Eastern spy, the mysterious Ye Meng. Ye whose very existence seemingly proves him immune from the natural laws of film secrecy has come thru once again with some real nice info for fans of Hong Kong cinema...
Ye is back in the new millennium!
During the Taiwanese premiere of China Strike Force, director Stanley Tong told the media the script of his next project in Hollywood, Aim, has been sent to Leonardo DiCaprio. Although no further detail has been given, the preproduction of the movie has been planned.
Stanley Tong's next Chinese language film will be Yue Fei. Yue Fei was an 11th century general during China's Southern Song Dynasty, who had recovered large territories from the kingdom of Jin in the north. Emperor Gao Zong was afraid of the entire northern China frontier being recovered by Yue Fei and of the two former emperors of Southern Song being freed from the kingdom of Jin. Once they went home, he might well have to give up his throne. With the help of his prime minister, the emperor executed Yue Fei for the crimes he had never committed.
Some rumors have suggested Stanley Tong wants Antonio Banderas to play Jin Wu Zhu, a general from the kingdom of Jin, and Matt Damon to take on another role in the flick.
Meanwhile in Hong Kong, Stanley Tong's latest movie, China Strike Force, has defeated "The Grinch" and topped the box-office. New Line, Miramax, and Columbia are currently bidding for its release in North American and Renn Production is negotiating for its French release. The Japanese and Korean releasing rights have been sold for $2 million and $1 million US.
That's all for now...
Ye Meng
