Dark October Mugged by Bodyguards and Assassins
-- Bodyguards and Assassins --
At today's press conference for Bodyguards and Assassins (formerly Dark October), a movie on a group of people protecting Sun Yat Sen against assassination when he was in Hong Kong to raise funds on October 15, 1905, the cast was formally announced.
At this stage, it's not known who'd be playing Dr Sun Yat Sen, after Chow Yun Fatt, who's doing the film on Confucius that begins filming around the same time, declined the offer. Director Teddy Chan explains that Sun Yat Sen is not the key figure in Bodyguards and Assassins, rather the film shows the history of Hong Kong through a group of people protecting Sun Yat Sen.
The partial cast announced includes "Gambler" Donnie Yen, "Beggar" Leon Lai, "Rickshaw Puller" Nicholas Tse, "Revolutionary" Tony Leung Kar Fai, "Assassin" Hu Jun, "General in Exile" Simon Yam, "Police Commissioner" Eric Tsang, "Mistress" Fan Bing Bing, "Scion" Wang Bai Jue, Wang Xue Qi and Zhou Yun.
Among the various characters, Donnie Yen's role is particularly of great import, full of suspense and development. Unlike the others, he isn't a patriotic or righteous person initially, even in the final instance, he's still uncertain of his own stand. Fan Bing Bing plays Donne Yen's wife, but remarries tycoon Wang Xue Qi to be his mistress due to a twist of events.
While Nicholas Tse had actually auditioned for this film several years ago before the production was held up, it's until only recently that his role as the rickshaw puller, one that would lay down his life for Dr Sun, was confirmed.
Hu Jun, as the main villain, one sent by the Manchu government to assassinate Dr Sun, would be shaving his head bald. Hu Jun would also be joining Jingle Ma's ongoing production Hua Mulan starring Vicki Zhao, playing a Hun general.
The 150m yuan film produced by Peter Chan, action directed by Stephen Tung Wai, begins production in early April 2009 and would be released in December 2009. Sina