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Just a snippet of catching up here; famed Chinese actor/director Jiang Wen ([i]The Sun Also Rises[/i]) announced his fourth film at Cannes in May this year; LET THE BULLETS FLY, a comic Western set in 1920s China when the country was being torn apart by feuding warlords. Jiang will star as well as direct. Mainland star Ge You (most recently seen in [i]If You Are The One[/i]) has joined the cast as a conman who attempts to buy a position in the government, and rumour has it another "internationally acclaimed big-name" is set to sign up. Tabloid money is on Chow Yun-Fat, apparently; not sure why, though the forthcoming [i]Confucius[/i] is probably going to do wonders for his profile on the mainland. Not much to report beyond this so far. Shooting is scheduled to start August, with a projected 2010 release. [i]Let the Bullets Fly[/i] is supposedly far more commercial than the rest of Jiang's films - just wild speculation, but the thought of him offering his take on the same territory as Kim Ji-Woon's [i]The Good, The Bad and The Weird[/i] has me salivating in anticipation already.
Very good news. Jiang Wen is sure going to do a fine job.
And a chinese neo western with Chow Yun Fat? Hell yes!
The only way I was able to view his first venture into film IN THE HEAT OF THE SUN was to acquire a dvd-r of it from some bootleg source. I do believe there once was either a Japanese or Chinese source for the dvd but sans english subtitles...
I loved The Sun Also Rises, esp. the final segment in the film which was just stunning.
BUT I thought that this film was going to be directed by Zhang Yimou and only star Jiang Wen?
First I've heard of that, but then I only picked up on this the other day. I hadn't heard of Yimou being attached to anything other than the [i]Blood Simple[/i] remake. I'd prefer Jiang Wen as director, but then I've got very little experience of Zhang Yimou outside his recent big three projects and I think [i]In the Heat of the Sun[/i] is one of the greatest films ever made.