Christian Bale to Star in Zhang Yimou’s ‘Flowers of War’

[Hunter Rider]

http://www.slashfilm.com/christian-bale-star-zhang-yimous-film/#more-94497

You can see Christian Bale doing some of the best work of his career on screen right now in The Fighter right now, and not too far into 2011 he’ll get back into the batsuit for Christopher Nolan. But first, he’s going to take a detour to China.

Director Zhang Yimou announced today that the actor will be part of his film Nanjing Heroes, which will begin shooting in January. The film will be the latest Chinese film version of the infamous 1937 incident called the Nanjing Massacre, or the Rape of Nanking, in which Japanese soldiers killed hundreds of thousands of Chinese civilians and soldiers, and raped thousands of women after the capture of the city of Nanjing.

THR says that Mr. Bale will play an American priest, and no other casting has been announced. The $90m film will be one of the biggest productions in Chinese history, with the budget being rought equivalent to that of John Woo’s epic Red Cliff. Asked if hiring Christian Bale was a ploy to ensure some international box office for the film, the director said,

It’s the overall strategy for Chinese cinema to approach the world and broaden its influence but casting Bale was a coincidence because the script happened to have an English-speaking part in the lead.

Yan and Liu Heng wrote the script; previously they wrote the novel that became Zhang Yimou’s film Ju Dou. About 60% of the script is in Mandarin Chinese, and the rest in English. In addition to Christian Bale’s character there is a figure named John Rabe, a German businessman who helped Chinese refugees. So that’s another potential role for an internationally-recognizable star.

THR also notes that Darkside FX, which has worked on Hugo Cabret, The Pacific, and the last three films from Paul Greengrass, has been hired to work on Nanjing Heroes.

 

[Sam18]

I wonder if he runs into little Jamie Graham.

 

[Nightmare]

So he's filming this before the dark knight rises?

I thought he was gonna gain weight and get in the beast shape he could for tdkr? I had heard he hired a personal trainer and a nutritionist?

 

[dark_b]

actors are always in the best shape for the first movie. when the franchise gets popular the actor and director dont care anymore.

Bale in hes normal body shape is good enough for batman.

but i dont think he cares anymore. he is doing this and then he can move on with hes acting.

 

[Bobber]

You can accuse Bale of a lot of things, but "not caring" isn't one of them.

 

[The Sage]

Is this role going to require him not to gain weight? He could start getting back into shape with the nutritionist while doing this movie.

 

[Octoberist]

At first, I think it was about a violent revolt in China back in the 90s that China till this day denies (to the public). What was it called again?

 

[Fenrir]

Sounds like another crappy stereotypical foreigner side role. I can't see it taking more than a month of filming time from Bale's schedule.

 

[BestGirl]

Maybe the German businessman will be played by Christoph Waltz.

At first, I think it was about a violent revolt in China back in the 90s that China till this day denies (to the public). What was it called again?

The Tiananmen Square protests.

 

[Bunker]

Bale playing a priest? Meh.

 

[Laderlappen]

Sounds interesting.

 

[jacobed]

Bale has said that he is excited to get back to Batman in TDKR so the whole not caring comment is dumb. I'm quite excited for this, it was definitely a dark time in history and should make for an interesting movie. Zhang is a great director and Bale is one of the best actors around.

 

[HighFivingMF]

Bale playing a priest? Meh.

Yeah, that one-word description that seems to have very little to do with the actual story bores me to death.

 

[Tron Bonne]

Plus, Bale was kind of a cool priest in I'm Not There

 

[Jackasscoley15]

I wonder if he runs into little Jamie Graham.

lol I was thinking the same thing.

 

[kvz5]

"Principal Photography Begins on Zhang Yimou’s 13 FLOWERS OF NANJING Starring Christian Bale"

http://collider.com/principal-photo...ers-of-nanjing-starring-christian-bale/69236/

 

[Kurosawa]

Sounds excellent, he is one of my favorite directors.

 

[kvz5]

Set pics/concept art:

 

[kvz5]

The Hollywood Reporter magazine scan:

Spoiler

 

[kvz5]

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118041967

'Nanjing' China's most expensive pic
Film stars Christian Bale
By CLIFFORD COONAN

BEIJING - With a war chest of $94 million, Zhang Yimou's latest project "Heroes of Nanjing" is the most expensive movie ever made in China and marks a bold attempt by the leading Chinese helmer to transform the biz here, bringing in Hollywood star Christian Bale and aiming to appeal to both overseas and domestic auds.

Zhang Yimou made his name internationally in the West's arthouses as the banned helmer of "Raise the Red Lantern" and "Red Sorghum," but was rehabilitated after making "Hero" and "The House of Flying Daggers," and stage-managing the Beijing Olympics in 2008.

His attention in recent projects has been focused on the domestic market but "Heroes" is a sign of new international focus.

His long-term producer and partner Zhang Weiping is confident that "Heroes" could do better B.O. abroad than the helmer's last big overseas hit at the box office, "Hero," which took over $100 million internationally.

"Western audiences loved "Hero" but while they liked the look of the picture, they had a difficult time getting into the historical Chinese epic theme. So we decided to look for a story with an international core," the New Picture Film Co. prexy said in an interview with Variety.

The subject they settled on is the "Rape of Nanking," the massacre that followed the invasion of China's wartime capital, now called Nanjing, on Dec. 13, 1937.

The Chinese say that over a six-week period, more than 300,000 Chinese were killed, one third of the city's buildings were burned and more than 20,000 women were raped, although some Japanese historians insist the number was much lower.

There have been several projects looking at this event in recent years, including Chinese helmer Lu Chuan's "City of Life and Death" and Florian Gallenberger's Sino-German co-production "John Rabe."

Pic is an adaptation of the book "Jinling" by Yan Geling.

"We thought we had found the story. This was in 2006. But the novel itself is not a film script, it needed major surgery to introduce more film elements. We started to work on the script and it took us three years to accomplish," said Zhang.

"Heroes of Nanjing" is Zhang's biggest-budget film in 16 years in the business, he said, with a budget of 600 million yuan ($93 million), but it's also his first time to work with a major Hollywood star.

"Inviting Bale to be in the film is mainly targeted at the foreign audience, although he is getting more and more famous in China. He's the first Hollywood superstar to act in a Chinese movie," said Zhang.

The negotiation process was a steep learning curve for the Chinese filmmakers, who are used to doing things quickly and on terms that suit them rather than the stars.

"It took two years as we had to follow Hollywood rules, such as not negotiating with other stars at the same time. If each one needs 3-4 months to consider the script, it's already a long time. They are all professional actors, they have very high standards with the script," he said.

Bale took five months to read and evaluate the script.

"He is so busy, his schedule is fully booked, and he can make money everywhere he wants. He really has no need to come to China, to do a Chinese film with us. But he loved the story, and he also gave us a lot of suggestions on the script, which inspired us a lot," said Zhang.

The level of cooperation between Bale and Zhang Yimou was amazing, he said, and the helmer has paid strong tributes to Bale's professionalism.

"Our actors really need to learn from those Hollywood actors. There are a lot of things to learn," said Zhang.

New Picture Film is the sole producer, which Zhang said would keep the production efficient.

He turned away investors looking for a piece of the pic - the booming Chinese economy means the market is awash with capital seeking likely projects to invest in - and opted to borrow money from the Bank of China and Minsheng Bank, and use some internal funding too.

"We wanted to make our film in a pure way, standing back to back and confident. If there are other partners, it is less efficient and harder to make decisions," said Zhang.

"I didn't consider using foreign investment. I did several co-productions before like "Hero" and "Curse of the Golden Flower" and I knew a bit about the foreign market, but I didn't think using foreign funds would help guarantee the movie's distribution abroad," said Zhang.

"The power is in the hands of the audience, not the distributors. They decide whether they want to pay to see your film in the cinema, they are the decision makers," he said.

International sales excluding North America, Japan, Korea and Hong Kong, will be handled by FilmNation.

"I will make a decision at the Toronto Film Festival about the North American distribution, there's been a lot of interest, including from Universal and Fox, and I hope the film can get released in the US at Christmas and in China on Dec. 16," said Zhang.

 

[Liam_H]

Very interested in this picture, also Bale looks badass while even dressed a priest. It seems he could even make a chicken suit look cool.

 

[kvz5]

Turns out he's an undertaker posing as a priest during the war. They previewed a 20 minute footage at TIFF:

Set in 1937 as Japanese forces are taking over the then Chinese capital, Nanking, the film’s battle sequences unfold in a manner both grotesque and beautiful, like a live-action hand-colored postcard of war.

Bale plays John Haufman, a salty mortician who apparently has come to town to bury the priest of a cathedral in Nanking. The cathedral also has a school for girls, and with war waging all around and the priest dead, John dons the priests’ vestments and works out a temporary reprieve from the rampaging Japanese soldiers.

Things get complicated when a group of a dozen or so prostitutes from the city’s red-light district show up at the cathedral, demanding shelter. Bale is more than happy with the arrival of the beautiful, exotic women, who set up camp in the cellar of the church. But the chaste schoolgirls are discomfited by their arrival, and conflict bubbles up.

That’s not John’s biggest problem, though. Soon enough the Japanese are back with an invitation to a “ceremony” to mark the complete occupation of Nanking. The implication is that the occupiers want the schoolgirls to attend the event as sexual playthings for the soldiers.

But the prostitutes decide, in an act of selflessness that belies long-held stereotypes about those in their line of work, that they will take the place of the schoolgirls. John (perhaps using his mortician skills, but it’s not entirely clear) helps disguise them with plain outfits and prim hairdos.

John falls in love with one of the women, even as he sees her and her compatriots off to their apparent demise. Meanwhile, he manages to spirit the schoolgirls out of the city.

With a budget near to $100 million and Zhang’s knack for spectacle, the film’s visuals don’t disappoint -- the setting of a church under siege makes for some haunting imagery.

There even seem to be even some humorous moments in the script: At one point, a prostitute promises John: “If you can get us out of here, I’ll thank you in ways you can never imagine. We all will.” To which John replies: “Can I get an advance?”

 

[Pink Ranger]

Great, I guess they couldn't resist the opportunity to put in a colonialist rice king love story plot in there.

 

[kvz5]

China's official entry for the Oscars:

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplayl...r_starring_christian_bale_is_chinas_official_

Zhang Yimou’s ‘The Flowers Of War’ Starring Christian Bale Is China’s Official Oscar Entry

While here’s a new twist to this year’s foreign film Oscar race: China has selected Zhang Yimou‘s “The Flowers Of War” as their official entry.

What’s the big deal? Well, unlike the other contenders are slowly being selected worldwide, Yimou’s film will have the ability the advantage of having a Hollywood star, Christian Bale, in helping promote and get the word out for the movie. Not only that, it has Oscar Bait written all over it. With a budget of about $90 million, the film is one of the most expensive Chinese productions ever, entirely financed within the country, and shot 40% in English, and 60% in Mandarin Chinese. The film focuses on the Nanjing Massacre in 1937, when thousands of inhabitants of the then-capital Nanjing were murdered by invading Japanese troops and Bale plays an American priest named John who shelters prostitutes and students during the Japanese attack on the country. Moreover, Yimou is twice nominated for Best Foreign Film receiving back-to-back nods in 1991 and 1992 for “Ju Dou” and “Raise The Red Lantern.” He will definitely be a big contender this time around.

So when will we get to see it? Who knows. The film is currently without any U.S. distribution but with news that it’s entering the Oscar and with Bruce Wayne himself in a feature role, that situation will likely change very quickly and we could see a limited release and campaign being pulled together very quickly for the end of the year. So Oscar prognosticators, get out the erasers, because the race is far from over.

 

[rashad]

I'm looking forward to seeing this. Wonder if there will be a trailer soon? Bale popularity is rising fast over there. TDKR could potentially do great numbers in China. TDK wasn't released there.