This ought to be interesting, though I'm not too thrilled that the movie is told with an American teen inserted into the legend. I'd rather it all stayed Asian. I bet people are really curious to see what Yuen Woo-ping will do in pairing the fighting styles of Jet Li and Jackie Chan. Frankly, I'd love to see Chan streamline his moves a bit and fight with a little less comedic improvisation and more tradiational gung fu intensity. Otherwishe, Li might overshadow him. Oh well, at least Jet Li is back! The claims that "Fearless" was Li's last martial arts film seems to have been a misdirection by the studio in order to get fans to see the movie. Li's intent is actually not to make any more films that have martial arts fighting as their core. He will do films that requires him to fight, as long as the fighting serves a greater plot. Here's a quote from Li (which is admittedly a bit confusing): [Li says] "Fearless" will be his last movie that has martial arts as its core subject matter. Li said he no longer wants to make movies in this genre because he has said all he has to about martial arts through movies. But he will continue doing action and kungfu movies because, to him, the three are of different genres. "Action and martial arts stories only use the form of martial arts. Kungfu represents a concept of time. You spend time practicing it, and you learn new skills. Martial arts are an overall concept, which also includes nurturing the soul". ******************************************** Fantasy Journey for Jackie Chan & Jet Li By MIN LEE, AP Entertainment Writer HONG KONG - The first film pairing of kung fu stars Jackie Chan and Jet Li will tell the tale of an American teenager's fantasy journey to ancient China to rescue a mythological monkey king, the film's U.S. distributor said Wednesday. "The Forbidden Kingdom" will start shooting May 2 in movie studios in Hengdian, located southwest of Shanghai, and neighboring locations, the movie's producer, Casey Silver, said in a phone interview with The Associated Press. The project has drawn attention because of the teaming of the two stars but plot details have been scarce. The story line originates from the classic Chinese novel "Journey to the West", in which a monkey king helps guard a Buddhist monk who searches for religious texts. In this new version, the teenager, a fan of kung fu movies, travels back in time after discovering the monkey king's stick weapon in a Chinatown pawn shop, film distributor Lionsgate said in a news release. While Chan's and Li's roles are still under wraps, the film could offer a sharp contrast of fighting styles. Chan is known for his improvisational, defensive moves while Li tends to dominate his on-screen opponents. Famed kung fu choreographer Yuen Woo-ping, known for his work on the "Matrix" trilogy, will design the action sequences in "Forbidden Kingdom," and Rob Minkoff, who made "Stuart Little" and "The Lion King," will direct the movie. Cinematographer Peter Pau, who won an Oscar for his work on "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," will shoot the movie. Both Chan and Li made their names in Hong Kong cinema before moving on to Hollywood. Chan was recently filming the third installment of the "Rush Hour" series with Chris Tucker. Li's recent Hollywood credits include "Cradle 2 the Grave" and "Kiss of the Dragon."
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