Acclaimed director Hou Hsiao-Hsien remains one of the leading filmmakers of Taiwan’s New Wave cinema movement. He is perhaps most famous for his 1989 effort A City of Sadness, which starred Tony Leung Chiu Wai.
For years, Hsiao-Hsien has been developing a wuxia project based on a Tang Dynasty tale. The movie, titled Nie Yin Niang (or The Assassin in English), has officially wrapped.
Taiwanese actress Shu Qi, known for Hong Kong films like Jackie Chan’s Gorgeous and So Close, stars in the lead role. Her character was taken away by a Taoist nun as a young girl, trained in the martial arts, and later commissioned as a deadly assassin. Co-starring alongside Qi are Zhou Yun (Bodyguards and Assassins), Chang Chen (Helios) and Tsumabuki Satoshi (Waterboys).
The film is said to bear some resemblance to Ang Lee’s landmark Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, but Asian cinema buffs who grow tired of extensive CGI in wuxia films can take heart. Hou has promised The Assassin will be more realistic, telling reporters “Special effects won’t often be seen in the film.” The Assassin will feature martial arts choreography by Stephen Tung-Wai (Fox Hunter).
Updates: Well Go USA has acquired Hou Hsiao-hsien’s The Assassin. The film will be screened at the Cannes Film Festival later this month. Stay tuned for theatrical, VOD, Blu-ray and DVD release dates!
- See more at: http://www.cityonfire.com/#sthash.1L6XjqpZ.dpuf