Zhang Ziyi in Hou Yang's Project Confirmed
January 25, 2003
Ziyi accepts the lead role for Jasmines Blooming |
In a previous
report by CSC
News, it was suspected that Zhang Ziyi's next movie, Jasmines Blooming, would be the
movie adaptation of Su Tong's
novel The Lives of Women. It appears that this report has finally got
confirmation. Director Hou
Yang stated that as of yesterday (01-24-03), Ziyi is officially
assigned to this project. An article from Shanghai
Youth remarks that shooting will take place in Shanghai,
starting in March and lasting approximately 80 days. Su
Tong is a well-known writer in mainland China, writing female-themed stories
such as Raise the Red
Lantern and Blush
(adapted into movies by Fifth-generation directors Zhang
Yimou and Li
Shaohong). He is very approving of Ziyi for the role, in which
Ziyi will play three women of differing generations: a Shanghai actress in
the 1930s, her daughter in the 1950s, and finally, her granddaughter in the
1970s. These characters are assumed to be totally separate, with each story
spanning over a decade. Hou Yang is a well known
cinematographer (The Blue
Kite and most notably, The
Road Home), but has just taken his start with directing. This
will be his second such project in which he will be the one controlling the action.
He has just completed the third rewrite of the script, claiming to stay true
to the spirit of the novel. While the story focuses mainly on women, he
seems to have attracted the attention of well-known Chinese actor Jiang
Wen. This actor, a graduate of
Central Academy of Drama
(along with Ziyi), is supposedly considering playing a minor male part in
the movie, the nature of which is unknown. Director Hou Yang claims that
even if Jiang Wen is unavailable, the portions of the film with the male
actors will be shot last. Finally, the title of the
movie will be called Jasmines Blooming. It is also rumored that Hou Yang
may seek out actress Joan
Chen to join the project, at least according to the Tianjin
Daily. If she accepts, it seems implied that she will also take
a leading role in the film (playing one of the women in the three
generations).
Related links:
Thanks to puubs
for the news update.
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Capture of Soutec Ad with Ziyi
January 23, 2003
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Picture of Ziyi with Soutec Phones
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A capture of the Soutec
Flash Ad has been saved and archived here for your viewing pleasure. Please
click the following links to open a new window. It may take a while to load,
but please be patient (file size 600k). Also included, we have located the
original Flash Ad that Ziyi was first spotted in (file size 40k):
Zhang
Ziyi Soutec Ad (Flash)
Original
Zhang Ziyi Soutec Ad (Flash)
Chinese text: "Chuang zao cai se du tu shi dai...
Nan fang gao ke shou ji!"
Translation: "Now available in colors... Soutec cell phones! Believe it or not, this is the same exact motto as the Zhang Yimou directed
commercial. Whether this is an abbreviated version of the actual commercial
is unknown. Related links:
Thanks to puubs,
Shadow,
and allanvv
for the news update.
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Zhang Ziyi Soutec Phone Madness!!!
January 22, 2003
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Ziyi in Soutec Phone Ad
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Soutec,
a communications company located in Guangzhou,
has much to celebrate for the coming Chinese New Year. Already declared the
quickest growing domestic communications company of 2002, analysts have said
that Soutec will be the "dark horse" industry to look out for in the
year 2003. But more than anything, there is one indication why they won't be
slowing down anytime soon: They have Zhang Ziyi as a spokesperson for their
cellular phones. Last November
(11-10-02), Soutec's company website declared that Zhang Ziyi would be their
one and only representative in China. This turned out to be a vast
understatement, as Soutec had much bigger plans for the international movie
star. Just over a month later (12-19-02),
Soutec unveiled a grand television advertisement -- which is still playing in
Hong Kong and China today. The commercial is called "Soutec: Coming through
with colors" and it was directed by Hero
director Zhang Yimou. CSC
News recently had a previous
reportin which the two were spotted making a
commercial in Guangzhou. It appears that we now know what was the reason for this
sighting was. The following two pictures are
promotional photos of Zhang Ziyi from the Soutec website. The second was
her at the premiere of her commercial on 12-19-02. If anyone has any
information or footage of this commercial, please contact puubs
(你也可以用中文给我写电子信). 
The
next three pictures are the two cellular phones that Ziyi has been especially
sponsoring. The first picture looks like the SC9388
model,
which was spotted initially by allanvv
in a web advertisement. The second picture is an upgraded version of the ad,
with a more stunning Ziyi in view. Finally, the third one is Ziyi with the S688
phone. The Soutec official website reports that this was the model
auctioned off in Guangzhou, in an event attended by Ziyi around
Christmas 2002. Ziyi personally signed the phone, urging one anonymous
bidder to buy the phone for over
20,000 yuan ($2500 U.S.). A picture of Ziyi at the auction can be found here.
In recent reports by Sina.com, Soutec has been encouraged by this success and has decided to sell 3,000 specialized versions of these mobile phones, all emblazoned with Zhang Ziyi's signature.
Finally, here are some other products that Ziyi
has posed with, featured on the Soutec
products website. The S-models refer to cell phones that contain a
SIM card, which is practically the standard in most cell phones in Asian
countries. The SC-Models are CDMA cell phones, which are used primarily in
Western countries. SIM models probably would not work in Europe and North
America. S-Models: 1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6
SC-Models: 1 |
2 |
3 |
4 Related
links:
Thanks to puubs
for the news update.
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2046 Images: Old and New
January 21, 2003
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Ziyi
2046 costume test from 2
years ago
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The following is a synopsis of what's going on
with Wong Kar
Wai's project 2046.
Continuing Cast Members
Tony
Leung, Carina
Lau, Faye Wong,
Chang Chen, Takuya
Kimura New Cast Members
Zhang Ziyi, Maggie
Cheung, Miao
Feilin, Siu
Pinglam ("Ah Bing")
Miao Feilin and Siu Pinglam, young and old
actors, respectively -- are little known performers from Hong Kong. Miao Feilin seems to have a new, but minor part in 2046. She is pictured right here,
sporting the 1950s look similar to Zhang Ziyi from recent set reports. On
the other hand, Siu Pinglam is somewhat of a familiar name, as he played Tony
Leung's good friend "Ah Bing" in the movie In
the Mood for Love. It is unknown whether he'll be playing a
similar role as before. In addition, there seems to be some existing footage
from In the Mood for Love that may be carried over to 2046. The
following images appear to be Maggie Cheung's character Mo-wan in the hotel in
Vietnam, alone: 1 |
2 |
3 Wong
Kar Wai started shooting 2046 sometime in the year 2000, after the
success of In the Mood for Love. Reportedly, he has stocks of footage
from Hong Kong and Thailand, but whether he'll use it is unknown. Included in
this link
is a picture of Faye Wong and Takuya Kimura in Thailand from more than 2 years
ago. It was in that very year that Wong Kar Wai promised that he'd have the film
out for the Cannes Film Festival
in May 2003. Since then, he has grown very unsatisfied, and it wouldn't be
surprising if he started totally from scratch. Still, the deadline seems to
hold. Wong Kar Wai has a very dynamic shooting style: using multiple camera
angles and takes, with the dialogue entirely improvised. Another complication
also exists with the actor Takuya Kimura (besides his current commitment to the
Japanese Film Good Luck), in that he revealed several of Wong Kar Wai's
techniques to the press. This definitely made the director mad, because in
addition to being highly innovative, he is also highly secretive. Sets are
supposedly always covered with black cloth. It is ironic that Wong Kar Wai makes
such preparations, as he doesn't even tell his actors the nature of their scenes
until the very day they film. While
Takuya Kimura's future in this film in uncertain, Chang Chen still seems to be
on board. Told to grow his hair out for three months, the following result looks
like this. In
summary, all that can be said about 2046 is that it is a Wong Kar Wai
film, loosely based on his prior film In the Mood for Love. Expectations
are high for this piece, but pressure isn't really something that this director
pays attention to. Whether the movie has a futuristic, science fiction element
or a dream-like shifting between the past and the present, truly only time will
tell. It's best to just let Wong Kar Wai do his magic and hopefully we'll see
the finished product in a couple months. Common elements to look for in Wong Kar
Wai films are gloomy settings (the sun is rarely seen), clocks + references to
the 1997 handover of Hong Kong, unrequited (and transient) love, and a
reflection of old Hong Kong + Shanghai. Related
links:
Thanks to puubs
for the news update.
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Ziyi in Zhang Yimou Commercial?
January 21, 2003
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Spy
photos of Zhang Ziyi and her red shoes in Guangzhou (11/16/02)
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Although Hero
did not win the category of Best Foreign Picture at the 60th Golden Globes Awards,
Zhang Yimou nevertheless
had an announcement to make. He has selected the next actress to appear in a 5 minute Toyota
commercial... and it's not Zhang Ziyi (Sorry guys). However, there is no reason to
despair. According to a November 2002 article in Southern
City News, Zhang Ziyi was spotted in Guangzhou
for the test shooting of a Zhang Yimou commercial. Assuming that this wasn't
related to the Toyota matter, there may still be something out there for Ziyi
fans worldwide. If anyone has any additional information, please contact
puubs. These
pictures were all taken from Ziyi's appearance in Guangzhou. She was seen
hoisted on some construction apparatus in a well known shopping area.
 Related
links:
Thanks to puubs
for the news update.
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New Image for Zhang Ziyi in 2046
January 20, 2003
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Ziyi
leaving Zedong Studios after costume test
(11/20/02)
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As mentioned in a previous
report from CSC
News last week, filming for 2046
resumed in Wong Kar
Wai's Zedong Studios in Hong Kong.
According to a recent report by Beijing
News, it seems that most of the cast has returned and shooting
indeed is under way. The one exception is Zhang Ziyi's costar, Takuya Kimura,
who apparently has a contract obligation to finish filming the Japanese film Good
Luck in Japan. It is
unknown how this will affect 2046's shooting. Director
Wong Kar Wai has been shooting the movie 2046 on and off again during
the past three years. To those that don't know, the film reprises the two roles
of lovers Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung
from In the Mood for
Love. However, rather than the original setting of 1950s
overcrowded Hong Kong, the story is set in the year 2046, 50 years after the
handover of Hong Kong to China. Previous reports seem to indicate that the
movie would include lots of futuristic tones: with Zhang Ziyi's character
having tall hair and Faye
Wong's character being that of a purple-haired, love robot. In addition,
the movie's storytelling may occur in somewhat of a dreamlike state, with
periodic shifting between the past and the future. After
several set visits, a reporter has revealed that Wong Kar Wai is also working
with sets that reflect the original 1950s style of Hong Kong. Furthermore,
Zhang Ziyi and newcomer Miao
Feilin's costume designs are "full of nostalgic
flavor." The same seems to apply to Tony Leung's character, with his look
being described as a combination between his characters from In the Mood
for Love and The Story
of Ah-Fei. As for Chang
Chen, Ziyi's costar from Crouching
Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Wong Kar Wai apparently told him not to
shave or cut his hair for three months. The
following pictures are a compilation of concept photos from 2046. The
last two appear to be current set photos of Tony Leung and Zhang Ziyi, reflecting the
"old flavor" that may appear in the movie. Earlier pictures of Zhang Ziyi and Faye Wong
appear in the first two. 
Related
links:
Thanks to puubs
and Monkeypeaches
for the news update.
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Ziyi Graces the Covers of Two More Fashion Magazines
January 19, 2003
Ziyi
on
Nuyou Cover, May 2002 |
The month of January (2003) has featured Zhang Ziyi on the
covers of several Chinese magazines, most notably Miss, Madame Figaro,
as well as Good magazine. If anyone has any information on the
stories in these magazines, please contact puubs
for details. 
Thanks to tinababy,
dscans,
and RGR103
for the news update.
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Hero Starts International Release in Singapore
January 19, 2003
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Hero has now started its international release with
Singapore (01-16-03), almost a month after its official release in
mainland China. Hero distribution is currently split between Twentieth
Century Fox handling Asia, with all other non-Asian
territories being covered by Miramax.
Here are some quotes of Ziyi from a recent interview from a Singapore
newspaper: "It's when the most common
people do uncommon things, that is what's truly heroic." She then
went on to give an example from her life: "There was one time when
I was still a student. I had just finished classes and was returning
home. While on the bus, I noticed these three bullies harassing this one
student that wouldn't fight back. Finally, when they asked the poor guy
for money, I just couldn't stand by and idly do nothing. I lashed out:
scolding them and even threatening to take them in to the police. They
got scared and ran away."
When she came home, Ziyi told her mother all the details. Her mother
said that Ziyi is the type to get into other people's matters, and she
should be careful of getting into trouble. Ziyi remarked:
"Actually, I think I got this characteristic from my mother. She
also likes to meddle in people's business. I remember this one instance
in which a police officer was hanging around our area, giving tickets to
illegally parked cars on the corner. My mother then helpfully stood in
front of the entrance, warning everyone that was driving a car. She must
have standing in that place for the whole afternoon." The
following are some promotional images of Hero in Singapore.
The first picture is from the magazine I-Weekly.
The second is a promotional postcard of some kind. 
Related links:
Thanks to puubs
and dscans for the news update.
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Zhang Ziyi Featured in American Magazines
January 19, 2003
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Zhang Ziyi has recently been featured in two American entertainment
magazines during the month of January: Variety
and Premiere. Here
are some excerpts from Derek
Elley, the Variety magazine reviewer for the movie Hero:
"The Snow/Moon forest duel, shot in Inner
Mongolia at a precise moment of the year, rivals the classic bamboo
forest battle in King Hu's A Touch of Zen..."
"Of the others, Zhang Ziyi, in the
relatively small role of the maid, is among the most eye-catching,
though more convincing as fighter than lover."
Meanwhile, reporters from Premiere magazine
visited the set of Hero in Zhejiang
province. The following pictures featuring Ziyi were probably
taken in studios within Hengdian Film & TV City:
The full text of both articles can be found here at CSC News:
**Small Note**
Both articles touch a bit on the North American release date for Hero.
The latest information from Variety seems to indicate a May 2003 release
from distributor Miramax.
Thanks to puubs for the news update.
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Zhang Ziyi Not to Attend Golden Globes Awards
January 17, 2003
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Ziyi as Like Moon |
The 60th Golden Globes Awards will be taking place in Los
Angeles this Sunday (January 19, 2003), with the movie Hero being a
front-runner in the category of Best Foreign Picture. Hero
is one of two Chinese films to be showcased at the award show, the other
being the French produced Balzac
and the Little Chinese Seamstress, which stars Ziyi's Purple Butterfly costar,
Liu Ye. Liu Ye revealed in an early Sina.com
article that he intended to attend the Golden Globes, even inviting
Zhang Ziyi to come with him. Ziyi, however, did not give a final
answer. In an updated article, because Liu Ye
is being rushed to film additional scenes for his new picture Hua Zhong
de Fengjing ("The Scenery Drawing"), even he won't be
attending the ceremony. Furthermore, since the main stars of the cast of Hero
(includes Zhang Ziyi, Maggie Cheung, and Tony Leung) are busy making preparations for the movie
2046
in Hong Kong,
they
will also not be able to attend. It is assumed that Zhang Yimou will be
attending the ceremony alone. The Golden Globes is often regarded as the
precursor to the Oscars,
and Hero's main competition is probably the Brazilian film City
of God.
Related links:
Thanks to puubs
for the news update.
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2046 Filming Starts... Sort Of
January 15, 2003
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Early Ziyi Set Photo
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Believe it or not, 2046 has
begun filming in Hong Kong. But
in this brief article from Beijing Youth, Zhang Ziyi affirmed that she has
not yet shot any scenes with any of her costars (one of which is Japanese costar, Takuya Kimura). For the moment, she's under restriction
from revealing any details of the plot. Ziyi remarks: "Because we still
don't have the other costars, it's hard to say for sure who's included in
the movie. All that's been said about the cast is from the newspapers -- but
most likely, Gong Li won't be joining us."
2046 has been shooting for 3 years already (and is still not finished). It
is scheduled to be completed in March and Wong Kar Wai promises to have it
ready by the Canne's Film Festival (May 2003). Of course, Wong Kar Wai has
not revealed how much he has spent on this project during this period.
However, one investor revealed that if Wong Kar Wai shot in his studio, the
minimum budget would be increased to over $100 million Hong Kong dollars
(over $12 million US). The Hollywood Reporter previously reported that 2046
would have a budget of over $16 million dollars.
Related links:
Thanks to puubs
for the news update.
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Zhang Ziyi and Future roles: Possible New Zhang Yimou Project?
January 15, 2003
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Ziyi as Like Moon |
Shanghai Youth has recently reported that Zhang Yimou is planning to make a new
period piece, under the working title Qin Shi Huang. This
information comes via a reporter from Chengdu Business News, who has a source
from Hengdian Film & TV City in Zhejiang Province (which is specifically the location where the Qin
Imperial palace scenes were shot in Hero). Supposedly, filming will take place
there sometime in Spring, possibly in March or April 2003. Very little is known
about this topic, except for the fact that Zhang Yimou has reserved the same set
for use. It has been reported that Zhang Ziyi has been contacted for a role in
this film. It has been common knowledge that Zhang Yimou
is making preparations for another wuxia picture, but whether this is
related is unknown. An earlier report noted that
he even went to the Ukraine to scout for new locations. But while in
Taiwan recently promoting Hero, Zhang Yimou revealed that a possible
historical backdrop for his next wuxia movie would be the Tang Dynasty (618 -
907 AD). This is quite different from the the era of Emperor Qin Shi Huang
(221 BC), who is one of the main characters in Hero and now purportedly
the subject of this next project. The role of Ziyi
in this project has not yet been verified by Ziyi herself. In a 12-27-02
interview with Beijing Morning News, Ziyi remarks that she may join
Hou Yang's
The Lives of Women when 2046 finishes shooting in March
(sometime after Chun Jie, Chinese Spring Festival). She also
mentions the possibility of joining the Adam Sandler film Good Cook,
Likes Music: a role in which she would play a mail order
bride. Although Ziyi has not officially signed with any of these
projects, it looks like Hou Yang's film is the most likely. Hou Yang
has reportedly been in negotiations with Ziyi for more than a year.
Related Sina.com links:
Small Note: Unfortunately, the original Taiwanese link is broken.
Thanks to puubs, MonkeyPeaches,
and Masked Bunny for the news update.
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Musa Debuts in China
January 15, 2003
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Ziyi as Princess Bu-yong |
Musa (Wushi in Chinese, meaning Warrior) has officially
premiered on China. Korean male leads Jung Woo-sung and Ju Jin-mo flew over
to do promotion in Beijing and Shanghai: two cities which have already
released Musa (dates 1-04-02 and 1-05-02 respectively). But it wasn't
until 1-10-02 that the movie has been in general release in 8 major Chinese
areas, which includes Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangdong Province. The date 1-10-02 is
also supposedly when Hero showings will be scaled back, however, several
Chinese theatre owners may be hesistant to do so.
In its own right, Musa has already been a record breaker. Taking 5 years to
make and 7 billion Korean dollars (equivalent to $5.5 million, U.S.), it is
by far the most expensive production in Korea. It made records on its
opening weekend and was declared a qualified success at the Korean box
office (reportedly #3 in the year 2001). The film contains, of course, Zhang
Ziyi -- who was contacted about a role in this movie before the success of
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. In the following article by Jinyang News, Ziyi shares some insights into Korean movies and her character of
Princess Buyong. This interview was conducted by phone, as Ziyi is currently
in Hong Kong shooting 2046.
Sina.com Link: 章子怡谈韩片《武士》：我演得不过瘾 (Source:
Jinyang News Website)
In Ziyi's words, Musa is a typical Korean movie, especially capturing the
spirit of the Korean warrior. The scenes of violence are very gory and
undiscriminating, which is in stark contrast to the style of Ziyi's other
movie, Hero. The difference may be attributed to cultural backgrounds, as
Ziyi remarked that Chinese films take great lengths to avoid the sight of
blood. This is one interesting aspect of the release of Musa in China, and
Ziyi hopes that Chinese youths don't get the wrong impression from the
overbearing violence.
As for the role of Princess Buyong, this was an interesting departure for
Ziyi. Ziyi basically affirms that Princess Buyong is a different character
than Yu Jiaolong (Jen Yu) in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (and not just in fighting
ability, too). While Jiaolong didn't exhibit any change from the start to
finish, Buyong only knew about the high life of the palace. She didn't how
to live, and furthermore, how people were really like. It is through her
experiences does she finally change her outlook.
Contrary to one may think, the hardest scenes to film were not those in the
Ningxia desert. Ziyi states that the time they spent in Liao Ning Xin Cheng
were the most trying (Liao Ning Xin Cheng being the location of the decisive
seashore battle). Because they arrived in that city in the end of Decemeber,
a deathly chill was brought in by the Northwest China winter. Shooting
conditions were also quite poor, thus making it quite hard to film and even
to sleep. The only source of heat seemed to be from making bonfires. During
at least one instance, crew members would sleep by the fire and burn parts
of their costumes.
Ziyi also seems to quite interested in Korean films, instigated in part to a
visit to the Venice Film Festival. She's especially surprised with how broad
Korean films are and cites My Sassy Girl as an example
(translated into Chinese as Wo de Yeman Nuyou, literally
"My Barbaric Girlfriend"). Ziyi remarks that Chinese cinema should
be a little more bold, perhaps having more daring youths in films.
Related Links, Coverage by Sina.com:
Thanks to puubs
for the news update.
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Hero Premiere In Taiwan
January 15, 2003
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Hero premiered January 11th in
Taiwan.
As part of the Hero premiere promotion in Taiwan, a 184-page Hero picture book,
supposedly is packed with interviews, behind-the-scene tidbits and photos, was also made
available on the 11th, and a convenient store chain began offering ready-to-eat convenient
meals in special Hero boxes. These meals come in two varieties: chicken drumstick and
pork chop.
The meal boxes have since become collectibles for the Hero fans. Since made available,
store sales for these convenient meals has nearly doubled. The stores are obviously happy about
the surge in sales, however, they complain that fans not only collect the boxes, but they also
keep stealing Hero movie poster displays in the stores.
The Hero Picture Book and Hero Pork Chop Meal:
In related news, the Associated Press reports that
Hero has become China's top-grossing film ever by raking in over $24.5 million since
being released in mid-December.
Related links:
Thanks to puubs and
Masked Bunny for the news update.
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New Zhang Ziyi Film Project
January 13, 2003
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According to Nanfang Daily, Zhang Ziyi has agreed to star in
cinematographer Hou Yong's directorial debut of a presently untitled
film adapted from a novel set in 1930's, 50's and 70's
Shanghai. Shooting of the film will start during the first half of this year, with a budget of 10 million yuan
(US$ 1.21 million).
Shanghai Youth reports that the film will be based on
Su Tong's novel, Lives of Women, about three generations of women in Shanghai: actress Xian in the 30's,
her daughter Zhi in the 50's and granddaughter Xiao in the 70's and 80's, and Zhang Ziyi is expected to star in all three
roles. Su Tong also authored the novel Raise the Red Lantern.
Thanks to puubs
and MonkeyPeaches for the news update.
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