Wu Jing - http://www.wu-jing.org
Back in the old days, the first strike of a shaolin movie came not from the bald fighter with a vengeful heart but from the title of the movie itself, splashed across the posters and theater marquees to instantly capture the attention of the would-be audience. From the obvious (Shaolin Martial Arts) to the obscure (The 36th Chamber of Shaolin ), producers had to come up with unique titles to separate their movies from the rest. Nowadays, the trend is “less is more” and when a veteran kung fu director decided to do his take on the shaolin genre, he simply called it SHAOLIN. Not as impactive as Shaolin vs. Evil Dead, but beyond the bland title, this film packs quite a wallop, tiger-crane style of course.
The cast rumors can now be quelled because a bunch of A-list action stars have signed on the martial arts epic. You’ve got Andy Lau (House of Flying Daggers), Nicholas Tse (Dragon Tiger Gate) and Wu Jing (SPL). And if that’s not enough for you, they’ve also thrown in some guy named Jackie Chan (a lot of kickass movies) for a cameo role. Bonus: because the film will be shot in a real Shaolin Temple, there will be real-life Shaolin monks doing some never-before-seen kung fu badassery as the supporting cast. Now would be a good time to say “Whoa.”
Some people thought that this will be a remake of the ’80s classic Shaolin Temple starring Jet Li, but au contrare, mon frere, the story will be entirely new. Like that would matter. I could watch two straight hours of Shaolin monks trading high-flying kicks. But anyways, here is the synopsis: China is plunged into strife as feuding warlords try to expand their power by warring over neighboring lands. Fuelled by his success on the battlefield, young and arrogant Hao Jie sneers at Shaolin’s masters when he beats one of them in a duel. But the pride comes before a fall. When his own family is wiped out by a rival warlord, Hao is forced to take refuge with the monks. As the civil unrest spreads and the people suffer, Hao and the Shaolin masters are forced to take a fiery stand against the evil warlords. They launch a daring plan or rescue and escape.
Sound compelling, eh? Filming will begin before the year ends.
Source: 24framespersecond
Source: Wu Jing
