Ya know... Harry here, and right now... I'm pretty darn jazzed. Right now there is a deal that has apparently gone through between Avi Arad, Chris Lee and Stephen Norrington for him to direct SHANG CHI: MASTER OF KUNG FU.... That's right, THE HANDS OF SHANG CHI.... The most badass Kung Fu comic that my American Ass has ever had the privilege to read every issue of.
Right now, I'm not clear who is writing the script, but it is allegedly the post-GHOST RIDER film project for STEPHEN NORRINGTON, who will soon be finding himself as one of the directors that fanboys and girls like me and you go gaga over.
Now, THE HANDS OF SHANG CHI: MASTER OF KUNG FU was never really one of the mainstream successes for Marvel... but rather the comic that the COOL READERS found. And for their adventurous non-anglo loving asses they were enriched with the story of Fu Manchu's son, who dedicated his life in opposition to his father's evil will. In his adventures he worked with such Fu Manchu characters as Fah Lo Suee and Nayland Smith himself. Then as Marvel began working him in and out of the Marvel universe we saw him be a bad ass with the likes of SPIDER-MAN, DAREDEVIL, IRON FIST, NICK FURY, ELEKTRA and LUKE CAGE.
So... who to play SHANG CHI? And I don't want to hear Jackie Chan (wrooooooong) or Jet Li (just as wrong).... That's right.... Shang Chi should be the... (cue dramatic kung fu music).... A NEW STAR.... Meaning, a guy that's been working for years in Hong Kong, but mainstream cracker America don't know him at all.
I would recommend... the perfect unknown to the west Hong Kong star for Shang Chi..... AARON KWOK. The brooding ....
He was the UTTERLY badass dude from Andy Lau's THE STORM RIDERS... a film of such awesome kickassness, that well.... SEEK IT OUT ON DVD! You will forever be in my kiss my shoe debt club..... You will think I'm the sun, moon and other large bodies in space type cool.... SERIOUSLY.... AWESOME! And as Shang Chi..... lasjdflasjdfljas That's right.... I ain't making sense, because that's how perfect he is....
