Martial arts superstars Jackie Chan and Jet Li will pair for the
first time in an action epic about an American teenager obsessed
with Hong Kong movies and kung-fu classics.
The Forbidden Kingdom will start shooting on May 2 in
China, the independent studio Lionsgate announced on Wednesday.
Rob Minkoff, who made Stuart Little and The Lion
King, will direct the movie whose screenplay is based on the
traditional Chinese legend of the Monkey King.
Martial arts choreographer Yuen Woo-ping, known for his work in
the The Matrix and Crouching Tiger, Hidden
Dragon, will design the action sequences, and cinematographer
Peter Pau, who made Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, will
shoot the movie.
In the film, the American teenager makes an extraordinary
discovery in a Chinatown pawnshop -- the legendary stick weapon of
the Chinese sage and warrior, the Monkey King.
With the lost relic in hand, the teenager unexpectedly finds
himself traveling back to ancient China and joining a group of
warriors on a dangerous quest to free the imprisoned Monkey
King.
Lionsgate plans a US theatrical release in the summer of 2008and
will co-release the film with The Weinstein Co., which will handle
distribution in Spain, France and Latin America.
(Xinhua News Agency April 12, 2007)
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