Hugh Jackman Joining Wang's Secret Fan?

[Hunter Rider]

http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=62929

Hugh Jackman Joining Wang's Secret Fan?

Sourceriental Morning Post
February 2, 2010


The Shanghai-based Oriental Morning Post is reporting today that Hugh Jackman will play the male lead in Wayne Wang's Snow Flower and the Secret Fan and that Li Bingbing (The Forbidden Kingdom) has replaced Zhang Ziyi in the film that also stars Jeon Ji-Hyun.

Filming started today at Hengdian, a large film studio near Shanghai. Jackman is expected to join the production in mid-February.

Set in 19th century remote China, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan revolves around the lifelong friendship of Lily and Snow Flower and their imprisonment by rigid cultural codes of conduct for women.

The script is based on the novel by Lisa See. Wendi Murdoch and Florence Sloan are producing.

 

[Bim]

Ooh hmmm interesting....

 

[danoyse]

Apparently it's a cameo?

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i9ee4b481143e87d7f20796bec6e3a311

BEIJING -- During its first day of shooting in China, director Wayne Wang's "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan" added Hugh Jackman just as it lost China's biggest actress, Zhang Ziyi.

Jackman will join the English-language drama at month's end at the Hengdian Studio outside Shanghai, local media reported Tuesday, calling his role the male lead. Jackman's publicist said that "at this point in time, he is doing an unbilled cameo."

In either case, it would be Jackman's first project in China, adding him to a growing list of Hollywood stars -- including most recently Kevin Spacey -- who are coming East to work in the world's fastest-growing movie market.

Meanwhile, Zhang's manager said the actress, who was to have co-produced the film set in rural 19th century China, dropped out "because of scheduling conflicts."

"Snow" was to have been Zhang's second film as a producer and first in partnership with producers Wendi Murdoch and Florence Sloan. Murdoch, born in China, is married to News Corp. chairman and CEO Rupert Murdoch; Sloan, who is Malaysian-Chinese, is married to MGM chairman Harry Sloan.

The film now will star Chinese actress Li Bingbing ("The Message") and South Korean actress Jeon Ji-Hyun ("Blood: The Last Vampire"), said Fergus Ryan, Li's project-development manager at Huayi Brothers Stars.

"The production will be moving to Shanghai next," Ryan said.

"Snow" -- also a first for Chinese-American director Wang, who never has shot a movie in China -- is based on the eponymous novel by Lisa See. The story, from a script by Wang and Michael Ray, revolves around the lifelong friendship of Lily and Snow Flower and their imprisonment by rigid cultural norms.

The project keeping Zhang busy is Hong Kong director Wong Kar Wai's Jet Tone production "The Grand Master," which centers on martial artist Ip Man, Bruce Lee's legendary trainer. The film, now in production, stars Tony Leung Chiu Wai.

Separately, Zhang has been dogged lately by Chinese news reports alleging that she has not made good on $1 million in relief funds she promised after the 2008 Sichuan earthquake.

I've never heard of the book - is it any good?

 

[Dr. Evil]

Ziyi Zhang? It would have been good for her to be in this movie because I don't think I've seen her in anything since Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

Oh well.

 

[danoyse]

According to an article in the NY Times, Hugh is playing a nightclub owner. And he's going to sing! In Chinese!

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2010/02/19/arts/AP-AS-China-People-Hugh-Jackman.html?_r=2

Hugh Jackman Tackles Chinese in Shanghai

SHANGHAI (AP) -- He's mastered the role of a mutant with metal claws -- but foreign languages are a tall order for Hugh Jackman.

The Australian actor who rose to fame by playing the superhero Wolverine in the ''X-Men'' series is in Shanghai to shoot scenes for director Wayne Wang's ''Snow Flower and the Secret Fan,'' in which his character breaks into song -- in Chinese.

Jackman, who plays a nightclub owner, joked that his pronunciation was lost on the movie's ethnic Chinese producer Wendi Murdoch -- the wife of media mogul Rupert Murdoch.

''I sang it and the very first couple of syllables she was like, 'great,' and then gradually she said like, 'what?''' he told Associated Press Television News in an interview late Thursday.

''But I think I got at least one take,'' Jackman added.