Asian Entertainment News & Celebrity Gossip

As DaDump reported to you yesterday, Chow Yun-fat and John Woo didn’t harbor any grudges for Chow leaving the cast of Red Cliff at the last moment. Now the movie publicist is announcing that Chow has tentatively agreed to return to Woo’s new Chinese epic.

John Woo must be wondering: will the musical chairs ever end? That’s because the film has gone through a dizzying and embarrassing round of casting changes before a single reel has been shot.

At the outset, the two big stars of “Red Cliff,” about an ancient Chinese battle, were Chow and former Cannes best actor winner Tony Leung Chiu-wai, who were slated to play the general Zhou Yu and strategist Zhuge Liang.

Leung first dropped out, saying “Red Cliff” came too closely to his last movie and was replaced by Taiwanese-Japanese heartthrob Takeshi Kaneshiro. Then Chow followed, saying he got the movie’s script late, an allegation Woo’s producer has disputed.

In the first unexpected development, Leung, sympathetic to Woo’s predicament, agreed to return to the movie to take Chow’s old role as general Zhou. Now Chow wants back in too, after a round of negative press that has given the impression that the Hong Kong actor was behaving like a prima donna.

Confused yet? Find out more about this continuing saga that is already infinitely more entertaining than any script can come up with! Read the rest of this entry »

Can you feel the love in the air tonight…

Chow Yun-fat’s last-minute pullout from John Woo’s new Chinese historical epic, Red Cliff, threatened to split up one of Hong Kong cinema’s most famous partnerships.

But Woo says although Chow’s withdrawal from Red Cliff was a heavy blow, he still considers him a friend.

“At the time, I felt a rather great sense of defeat. I felt at a loss,” says Woo. “Even though we couldn’t work together under the circumstances, he’s still one of the actors I admire the most, and my good friend.”

Just because Woo made Chow’s career with iconic films like The Killer and A Better Tomorrow doesn’t mean Chow owes him anything. As evidence that all is well, both were seen shopping together, sharing a gelato and getting manicures in downtown Mong Kok over the weekend.

Director John Woo led his star-studded crew from “The Battle of Red Cliff” to meet with the media for the first time on Thursday.

Most members from the film’s star-heavy cast, including Tony Leung, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Chang Chen, Chiling Lin, and Zhao Wei, showed up at the press conference in Beijing to talk about their characters in the film.

The historical epic film keeps making headlines as filming encounters its own twists and turns.

At first, Cannes-winning actor Tony Leung announced his quitting before shooting had started in mid April, but later he returned to take on the role dropped by another Hong Kong big name, Chow Yun-Fat.

Chow Yun-Fat was reported to have left the cast just one day after shooting had begun, citing what reports describe as “various reasons.”

Besides its star-studded cast, the production team, led by John Woo and “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” art director Timmy Yip, are also keeping movie-goers tantalized. [Cri]

He’s baaaack….

If the film is half as good as the behind the scenes goings on of the upcoming The Battle of Red Cliff, then this is going to be one heck of a film!

In the ongoing game of cinematic musical chairs, Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, who quit director John Woo’s “The Battle of Red Cliff” last month, will rejoin the $70 million production following co-star Chow Yun-Fat’s sudden departure earlier this week, producer Terence Chang said on Thursday.

Leung previously was cast in the role of Zhuge Liang, but quit in March due to scheduling conflicts only to be replaced by actor Takeshi Kaneshiro.

“Leung’s one of the best actors working in Chinese cinema today, I’m so glad that he’s coming back to the production,” said producer Terence Chang. Asked if the film’s shooting schedule had been affected by the rapid series of cast changes Chang said, “Nothing is affected because we have so many characters in the story and it’s so complicated, one actor will not affect the production.”

A two-part production based on a decisive battle fought in China’s Three Kingdoms period (220-280AD), the film is Woo’s first Chinese language film after more than a decade. [HollywoodReporter]

Back in the day when egos didn’t get in the way….

Trust me. No, seriously, I’m very trustworthy…

What better way to launch a brand campaign and clean up the seedy image of a city known for triads, corruption, prostitution and general seediness? Why, hire a well known actor best known for his roles as a gangster, gambler and cold blooded killer – DUH!

Hard Boiled, The Killer, The God of Gamblers, A Better Tomorrow… that’s the film resume of someone you want representing the resurgent island enclave of Macau, aka Las Vegas East.

Hotel and casino developer Crown Macau has unveiled it’s ‘Where great things happen’ launch campaign, starring Chow Yun-Fat.

Featuring a 90-second mini-movie, the film follows Chow through a “fantasy journey” through Crown Macau where he encounters Elyse Sewell, a model you might recognize from America’s Next Top Model (DaDump can’t make this stuff up, folks!) as they make their way through an exclusive private villa, some fine dining restaurants and the complex’s spa facility.

That got us thinking… who else would make great spokespersons and for which causes…
How about Tony Soprano and Atlantic City; Michael Jackson and the Boy Scouts; Sanjaya and the Grammy’s; Don Imus and the NAACP; George Bush and the US Presidency…

Utter lunacy I tell ya, c’est fou ca! But alas ‘tis the world we live in…

It’s Monday. DD had a looong weekend so no witty banter for you this morning. Just some more really cool, newly released pics of Chow Yun-fat as Captain Sao Feng in Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End. If you missed last week’s posting on the movie trailer, then CLICK HERE.

To see more pics of the rest of the cast, then clickety clack here.

One day, DD will get up off his lazy (but firm and well rounded) ass and install one of those thingees that embed the actual video into the posting. But that takes motivation and a desire for self-improvement, none of which applies to the Dumpling at the moment. Bottom of the pot coffee and a stale bagel are the only things in my immediate future.

If you enjoyed the fuzzy trailer of Pirates of the Caribbean 3 in Russian that DD suggested yesterday, imagine how much better it will be in its full digital glory… and in English this time! This flic promises to be another fun ride with the continuing misadventures of Captain Jack Sparrow and the swashbuckling duo of impossibly high cheek-boned good looking misfits played by Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom.

And let’s not forget the introduction of Chow Yun-fat who does his best impression of a welcoming Singapore Airlines Girl in the middle of the trailer.

CLICK HERE to pick which format you want to see this great trailer… Enjoy!