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NEWS ITEMS AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2009 Sept 29: Thanks to Jeffrey of WongKarWai.net and Cocoa for the find on this casting call for "The Grand Master": "Stunt double for Gong Li, required to perform martial arts, stands at around 167cm." So, it seems as though Gong Li may actually be attached to this film, contrary to what I was led (or perhaps, misled) to believe two months ago. A producer recently stated that he hopes to begin filming in late October. Sept 20: This spring, director Alexander Payne included Gong Li in his dream cast for “Downsizing”. Payne provided an update on the project to a Omaha World-Herald reporter a few days ago: "It's sitting there maturing, like wine in an oak barrel. I'm still keeping some momentum on it, educating myself about visual effects, how to make a movie of that scope. But it's not on my front burner… Where we left the script, it's in pretty good shape. You have to trust fate on these things. I trust fate it will be right a year from now." In response to questions about potential cast members mentioned in the media, Payne replied, "You can toss them all out. We're going to start from scratch a year from now or so." Sept 12: Thanks to the fan, "loves Gong Li crazily", for scans from Elle China:
During the interview, Gong Li spoke about the character she plays in "Shanghai", described as ''a socialite and an underground revolutionary'': ''I fell in love with this woman called Anna as soon as I saw her. She's strong. She's gentle. She's smart and intellectual. She's like a mystery, making people wonder what kind of person she is. I admire this kind of woman.'' Sept 7: Gong Li is featured in the October issue of Elle China. ->Teaser pics/article Sept 4: Watch Gong Li's latest L'Oreal advert ->Link1 ... And enjoy previous ads ->Link2 August 25: The folks at The Playlist have published a script review of Alexander Payne's "Downsizing". (Thanks to NewPath.) Payne remarked to a reporter earlier this year that Gong Li is one of his ideal cast members, although her attachment has not be officially announced. Her character is described in the script review: "Gong Jiang is a 'small' Chinese dissident... a fun, strong, pain-in-the-ass who hates waste... We just instantly wished she'd been around earlier." -> Read Script Review and comments August 19: The Chinese media has picked up the recent news in U.S. reports about a release for "Shanghai" this fall in Asia to be followed by a release in the U.S. later this year. An article in The Beijing News includes the info that a reporter phoned the Huayi Brothers office ("China's biggest private-sector film company", per Variety). He was told that due to co-production issues, cooperation with their company has been terminated. It is now unclear what company will distribute the film in China. A reporter also phoned Gong Li's manager and was told that the hope is to have an Asian premiere in China after the film has been reviewed and approved for release. The U.S. release date is still uncertain, but will hopefully be before the end of the year. August 18: Another fun, irrelevant E! News list (thanks to Cocoa for the tip)... Gong Li ranks No. 19 on the "Sexiest Voluptuous Vixens" of 2009 list. A special report will be broadcast on August 27. August 16: From an article in the New York Times by David Segal about a meeting he attended at The Weinstein Co. office: "We’re at a Friday-afternoon marketing meeting in the Weinstein Company’s offices in TriBeCa... There are four employees at the table, with an additional three videoconferenced in from the Los Angeles office. They seem totally engaged and convincingly chipper, though one way to ensure that nothing revelatory happens at any event is to invite a reporter to eavesdrop on it. Harvey, though, seems eager to prove that the Weinstein Company is busily planning life after 'Inglourious Basterds,' and perhaps he’d like to demonstrate how focused on movies he is once again... There’s brainstorming about 'Shanghai,' a romantic spy drama set in China during World War II to be released in the United States in the late fall." August 13: From a press release about "Shanghai": "The Weinstein brothers' Asian debut is aiming for a fall release in the region, a year after finishing shooting, but its U.S. release date still hasn't been decided, the Hollywood filmmakers' production company said Thursday... A person familiar with the film told the AP the movie finished shooting last August, but took a long time to edit because of 'stylistic differences' between the footage shot in London and Bangkok. The final cut was only completed in recent weeks and is now being passed to its Chinese distributor Huayi Brothers, which will submit it to Chinese censors." August 6: Thanks to "狂爱巩俐" for the link to a new Midea TV advert. -> Watch
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