Andy Lau has officially announced this project, which will be based on classic Chinese novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, at a press conference held in South Korean city of Pusan today. Romance of the Three Kingdoms was written by Luo Guanzhong in 15th Century. It is a dramatic chronicle of the Chinese history from AD 184 to AD 280, during which China spitted into three kingdoms Wei Shu and Wu, after the Han Dynasty fells, and eventually reunited again under the Jin Dynasty. It is the most influential historical novel ever written in China and has become one of the popular sources for folk operas, TV series, movies, comic series and games. Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon, backed by Hong Kong-based Visualizer Film and South Korea-based Taewon Entertainment, is expected to tell a story loosely based on a small part of the epically long book. The focus will be on Zhao Yun (also known as Zhao Zilong, which was also the working title for the project when it was originally revealed to the public last fall), a relatively minor character in the original novel, in which he is a handsome warrior and military commander, who is very loyal to Liu Bei, who later became the first ruler of the Kingdom of Shu. About the cast, Leon Lai will play Zhou Yu, the chief military commander loyal to Sun Quan, the founder of the Kingdom of Wu, Sammo Hung will play Zhang Fei, another warrior loyal to Liu Bei (Hung will also serve as the choreographer). Variety Asian Online reports that Maggie Q is playing Cao Ying, the granddaughter of warlord Cao Cao, who's oldest son becomes the first emperor of the kingdom of Wei (Q's character is specifically created for her.) Taewon Entertainment is also interested in offering Zhang Ziyi a role, according to the Chinese press. Daniel Lee is committed to direct. I am not feeling any confidence about him. His Dragon Squad is really sucks. The budget for the movie is about US$25 million, about half of what John Woo would spent on his upcoming The Battle of Red Cliff, which would also be based on Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Shoot of both projects will start next year in China. October 18, 2006 A little bit from Romance of the Three Kingdom, the historical novel inspired this movie. In early 3rd Century, the once powerful Han Empire was practically dead and the territory of northern China was controlled by powerful war lard Cao Cao, who had the ambition to take the rest of the country. Liu Bei, a much smaller war lord, run to the south along with his sworn brothers, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, as well as a young warrior named Zhang Yun (to be played by Andy Lau). Liu Bei joined force with southern war lord Sun Quan and defeated Cao Cao’s troops and fleets in Red Cliff. In 220 AD, Cao Cao died and his oldest son Cao Pi dethroned the last emperor of Han and proclaimed himself as the first emperor of Wei in northern China. A year later, Liu Bei, who claimed direct descent from a previous Han emperor, established the kingdom of Han (commonly called “Shu”) in southwestern China. Eight years later, Sun Quan also set up his own kingdom called Wu. In the next four decades, Shu repeatedly sent troops to attack Wei, in attempt to reclaim the lost land but in the end, in 263 AD, Shu was swallowed by Wei’s army. The story of the movie is set in the final days of Shu kingdom. Emperor Liu Bei and his sworn brothers Guan Yu and Zhang Fei (to be played by Sammo Hung) have passed away. Zhao Yun, who is already over 80, is commanding the final battle against Wei. A series of flashbacks will show Zhao Yun’s glorious stories in the past six decades and a secret love affair with war lord Cao Cao’s daughter Cao Ying (a fictional character specifically created for Maggie Q). Though both are based on Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon and John Woo’s The Battle of Red Cliff are recreating the novel on the big screen with different approaches. Three Kingdoms intents to tell the life story of Zhao Yun, a minor character in the original novel; and Battle of Red Cliff is expected to recreate the historical Battle of Red Cliff, which occupied about one tenth in the original novel. Source:Monkeypeaches
sum it all up for yall... Andy is gonna be Zhao Yun... in a Three Kingdom movie and Chow Yun Fat is gonna also be a Three Kingdom movie... here's a lil info on his... http://www.dramasian.com/showthread.php?t=7067
Wow I dont know I'm a fanatic about ancient battles and wars so I'm definitely going to look forward to this...all dynasty warriors for those who play the ps2 games lol
OMG!!!!! I CAN'T WAIT TO C THIS!!!! i'm so excited!!!! >.< this sounds like a huge project!!!!!!!!! Leon Lai n Andy Lau in the same film OMG!!!!!!!!!! *jumps for joy* but Meggie Q doesn't look asian enough to play ancient characters... n her voice will b dubbed so that's a bummer... gosh i wonder if they'll have Diao Xian in it... they better cast someone amazingly pretty to play her character... ahhhh Leon~~~ ahhh Andy~~~ -blush2
gnah i would have appreciated watching Andy Lau beside Chow Yun-Fat and Tony Leung Chiu-Wai in john woo´s battle of red cliffs,... that would have made an ubertopdreamcast ^^ too bad things went the other way... it´s really a pity they describe Zhao Yun as a minor character,... he´s one of my favourite characters in Romance Of The Three Kingdoms.
