|
NEWS ITEMS November 2007 Nov 30: John Cusack, who was reportedly in negotiations to co-star with Gong Li in "Shanghai", has signed on to another movie that begins production in January, according to The Hollywood Reporter. As the folks at Zap2it.com noted: "Earlier this week, Variety had Cusack attached to the historical thriller 'Shanghai', though it's unclear if he chose 'The Factory' over the Weinstein Co. production, or if he's just lining up a slew of upcoming roles." So, who is/will be Gong Li's co-star in Shanghai? When will it begin filming? There are more questions than answers at this point. Nov 29: There were rumors in the Chinese media recently that Wong Kar-Wai wanted big name Chinese actors to do the dubbing for the Chinese release of "My Blueberry Nights". Gong Li's name was mentioned in the reports as one of the director's choices. They have worked together in the past on "Eros" and "2046". Several articles published today include the info that she will indeed participate: "Reporters learned that the line-up for the dubbing will be Gong Li, Jiang Wen, Chang Chen, Dong Jie." Gong Li will reportedly dub the Rachel Weisz role. A Hong Kong Daily News reporter writes that Gong Li and Jiang Wen, who previously worked together in "Red Sorghum", are in final discussions to work on this project. Nov 27: The "Shanghai" casting news has spread to the major entertainment sites in the US, UK and Europe. Tony Ambrose writes in Empire magazine online: "Shanghai is a conspiracy thriller about an American who returns to the Chinese city of Shanghai - which was then under Japanese rule - four months before Pearl Harbour was attacked, to find that his friend has been killed. Needless to say, our hero is a bit narked and embarks on an investigation that eventually uncovers a conspiracy involving the American government! Along the way, though, he falls in love with a local - and the Weinstein Company, which is bankrolling the enterprise, have already secured Gong Li in that role. Good choice. Sounds like Shanghai, which is written by Hossein Amini and produced by, among others, Mike Medavoy, could be an interesting prestige thriller; certainly, it's something to keep an eye on. Filming is set to take place in - where else? - Shanghai early next year." Nov 26: Variety has picked up the "Shanghai" news. Michael Fleming writes that while Gong Li is "locked in", John Cusack is in negotiations: "The Weinstein Co. has locked in Gong Li and is negotiating with John Cusack to star in 'Shanghai,' a period drama the studio hopes to make in China early next year. Mikael Hafstrom, who helmed Cusack in the Dimension hit '1408,' will direct a script by Hossein Amini. Cusack is in talks to play an American who returns to a corrupt, Japanese-occupied Shanghai four months before Pearl Harbor and discovers his friend has been killed. While he unravels the mysteries of the death, he falls in love and discovers a much larger secret that his own government is hiding." Nov 23: The Guardian newspaper (UK) includes this mention of "Shanghai": "Gong Li has signed to star opposite John Cusack in Mikael Hafstrom's thriller Shanghai. Li, a seasoned Chinese star whose most recent foray into Hollywood was in Michael Mann's Miami Vice, will play a mysterious woman with underworld connections. Cusack will play the US journalist who encounters her in Japanese-occupied China during the second world war. Filming is expected to begin imminently." Nov 22: There is confirmation tonight that "Shanghai" is indeed Gong Li's next film. A United Daily News (Taiwan) reporter writes that he spoke with Gong Li's agent, who is currently in Paris. He confirmed what has already been reported and added other details. One of the reasons she chose this project from among several scripts is because there is a "mystery within a mystery" about her character. Tseng said that the character deals with people from around the world and speaks English, Mandarin and French. Gong Li is currently doing preparatory work on this project; then, after completing "Shanghai", she will move on to another "Hollywood" project. (Thanks, NewPath) Director Wong Kar-Wai is promoting the release of "My Blueberry Nights" in China. During an interview published on sina.com, he spoke about working with Gong Li on "Eros" and "2046": "I feel Gong Li is completely unique, her skill is very, very deep." Chinese actress Yu Nan ("Tuya's Marriage", "Speedracer") mentioned Gong Li again during an interview: "Hollywood is a very exacting industry; some might say it is inflexible, but it is really effective. It makes very high demands of its actors… To make it in Hollywood requires that one's language, acting and image all be internationalized. Actually, I admire Gong Li so much, because she has been just extraordinary there, very accomplished, and I hope I can be like her." Nov 21: The article, "Gong Li is 'Shanghai' Actress" was removed from the Shanghai newspaper site just a couple of hours after being posted, for some unknown reason. So, the casting news remains unconfirmed. Meanwhile, here are comments about the project from a September interview with director Mikael Håfström: "The next film I'm starting on now is called Shanghai and it takes place there during the war, just before the Japanese invasion of China. It's sort of an epic drama, a love story set with the war as a backdrop. It's a great piece of material that I've been flirting with for quite some time and I hope it's going to happen at the beginning of next year… Shanghai is proving to be the most technically complicated film I've done." In a Swedish article published October 19, a reporter who interviewed Håfström wrote, "Next stop is Los Angeles where he will meet with the stars of the project." Nov 20: According to a Shanghai newspaper, Gong Li's spokesperson, Li Yan-Yan, says that Gong Li will star in "Shanghai". The reporter writes that the Weinstein Co. project is currently in pre-production and will start filming in February 2008. Locations include Shanghai, Los Angeles and Canada. Plot synopsis from WorldScreen.com: The story is about "an American who returns to Japanese-occupied Shanghai during the Second World War to discover his friend's death and attempt to unravel the mysteries behind it." The info is unconfirmed so far, and casting for this project has not yet been announced in the Western trade papers. A video featuring Gong Li has been added to the CCTV site. It includes sequences from "Red Sorghum", Zhang Yimou's directorial debut, and Gong Li's film debut while still a student at university. Her ability to convey her character's thoughts and feelings without dialog was clearly evident at the beginning of her career. As the folks at CCTV note, "She played on the Chinese silver screen innocent and wicked, naïve and mature, stubborn and submissive, sexy and plain, a perfect combination of unforgettable images." The film was named the winner of the Golden Bear at the 1988 Berlin International Film Festival. -> Watch Video (best on Internet Explorer) Nov 18: From the folks at AskMen.com: "It's Top 99 voting time! Join the 55 million AskMen.com readers who have participated in the annual list since its 2001 debut… Instruction - Scroll through our galleries below and rank each of the women on a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being the most desirable)… The final results will be revealed on January 31, 2008, in the form of the final list: The Top 99 Most Desirable Women of 2008." Gong Li ranked #34 in last year's poll. -> Vote for Gong Li (scroll through the gallery - left arrow - and choose "10" under her pic) Nov 7: Thanks to Jiujiang for recent L'Oreal adverts:
Nov 4: Thanks to fans on the Baidu forum for the link to video (60 min.) of a Golden Roster / Hundred Flowers awards ceremony held several years ago. Gong Li received honors for her performance in "Breaking The Silence" (at the 15 min. mark). ->Watch A brief interview with actress Eugenia Yuan is included in today's New York Post. Columnist V.A. Musetto writes, "Yuan's small part in'Memoirs of a Geisha' gave her a chance to work with her idol, Gong Li. 'She's so classy,' Yuan gushes. 'She doesn't even need to speak - her face expresses so much. When I met her, she was so kind and so giving. I felt really lucky.'" Nov 3: There is a report in the Chinese media about the appearance of director Sun Zhou ("Breaking The Silence", "Zhou Yu's Train") at Santa Monica College yesterday. A reporter wrote that Sun praised Gong Li's acting, saying that she has very good instincts about scripts and she trusts him as a director, so they have worked together very happily. A few of his remarks about an upcoming project were published in The Hollywood Reporter on Thursday. He said he is hoping to make a film "about a mother-son-relationship with incestuous overtones. This would be a little bit complicated to make in China. I am hoping to find a Hollywood partner here." There was nothing in the report about his casting preferences. Nov 2: A March 2007 interview with director Zhang Yimou has been published in the current issue of Bright Lights Film. He was asked if his working relationship with Gong Li will continue and answered, "Of course it will because I still feel she is a very special, very rare actress. She has excellent instincts and is very talented technically. As long as the right scripts and the right roles come along, we will go on working together." Nov 1: Thanks to a fan on the Baidu forum for the link to another CCTV video. The report includes an interview with Gong Li in which she answers questions in English. ->Watch (best on IE) ->Download URL Gong Li was rewarded in 2000 for her performance in "Breaking the Silence" with another Golden Rooster award (China's "Oscar") and a Montreal Film Festival award for Best Actress. Director Sun Zhou will make an appearance in the L.A. area to discuss the making of the film. From The Hollywood Reporter: "In the latest in a series of Sino-American cinematic bridge-building exercises, a new, private film festival will launch at the Directors Guild of America on Thursday… At Friday's ancillary event at Santa Monica College, director Zhou Sun will give a seminar on Chinese filmmaking with a discussion of his 'Silence', starring Gong Li, China's submission to the Oscars in 2000." Thanks to "Himalayan People" for the link to video of Gong Li singing at two events. ->Watch (best on IE) ->Download URL (.wmv)
|
