It was a question heard around the world when the casting for Disney’s live-action remake of Mulan came out: Where is Shang? The commanding officer and romantic interest of the 1998 Mulan provided an unexpected LGBTQ element to the film (as well as many a sexual awakening for a young moviegoer). But the hunky character’s name was nowhere to be seen in the cast list. Would Disney be doing away with the pseudo-homoerotic romance that made the animated Mulan feel so groundbreaking? Not quite.
Worry not: the live-action Mulan will still have a strong central romance, but Liu Yifei‘s Mulan will instead be flirting with a fellow conscript instead of her commanding officer. In the live-action remake, Li Shang has been split into two characters: Donnie Yen‘s Commander Tung and Yoson An‘s soldier Chen Honghui. The change stems from the Me Too movement currently overtaking Hollwood.
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Donnie Yen has been playing Ip Man for more than a decade. Now the saga of Yen’s Wing Chun grandmaster is coming to an end, just as Ip Man comes to America in Ip Man 4. Ip Man 4 follows the martial arts master as he arrives in San Francisco where his famous student, Bruce Lee, has shaken up the local martial arts community by opening a Wing Chun school. Watch the Ip Man 4 trailer below.
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We’re less than a week out from San Diego Comic-Con, and even though we know Marvel Studios will have their own panel at the convention, that’s not stopping rampant speculation about upcoming casting announcements that could be revealed.
One of Marvel’s upcoming films, although not officially announced, will be The Eternals. The movie focuses on more characters from the cosmic side of the Marvel Comics universe, and in recent months, there have been several reports of who is being brought in to star in the movie. Now some of those cast members, and Marvel Studios mastermind Kevin Feige himself, have chimed in about these reports and rumors. Find out what everyone is saying about The Eternals cast below. Read More »
Trailers are an under-appreciated art form insofar that many times they’re seen as vehicles for showing footage, explaining films away, or showing their hand about what moviegoers can expect. Foreign, domestic, independent, big budget: What better way to hone your skills as a thoughtful moviegoer than by deconstructing these little pieces of advertising?
This week we revisit a directorial master of the 70’s, go back to school with Donnie Yen, wonder how Nazis suddenly have been given a voice, hit up a friend to help make a baby, and sit on the edge of our seat as we watch a victim confront a murderer. Read More »
The casting process for Disney’s live-action Mulan remake is picking up steam. After recent news that Donnie Yen has joined the film, word comes that Gong Li and Jet Li have joined the cast as well.
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The coolness factor of Disney’s live-action Mulan has just increased considerably. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story actor Donnie Yen has joined the live-action Mulan cast as a mentor to Mulan.
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It only took everyone a few decades, but Hollywood filmmakers finally seem to be embracing Donnie Yen. The Chinese superstar won hearts all over the world as blind warrior Chirrut Îmwe in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and he stole scenes in xXx: Return of Xander Cage. Now, someone outside of China is finally ready to put him center stage. That someone is producer Neal Moritz, who has cast Yen in the film adaptation of the video game Sleeping Dogs.
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Earlier this week, we learned that Jyn Erso’s backstory would be explored in a new YA novel. And today we have yet another bit of Rogue One prequel news. Lucasfilm has announced that Chirut Imwe and Baze Malbus (played by Donnie Yen and Jiang Wen respectively in the film) will be getting their own standalone prequel novel titled Guardians of the Whills. Learn more after the jump.
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Over 14 years after the release of the original xXx, is Xander Cage a character audiences remain interested in? We’ll soon find out when Vin Diesel returns to the role next month in the D.J. Caruso-directed sequel, which co-stars Samuel L. Jackson, Ruby Rose, Tony Jaa, Toni Collette, and Donnie Yen. So far we’ve seen Cage pull off plenty of wonderfully ridiculous feats in the trailers for the film, and the newest xXx: Return of Xander Cage clip gets, as fans probably hope for, ridiculous real fast.
Below, watch the xXx Return of Xander Cage clip.
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Last night, the world premiere of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story hit Los Angeles, and even though the embargo on full reviews won’t be lifted until December 13th, the first reactions from those attending the star-studded debut of the movie (including our own Peter Sciretta) have hit the web. The result is tons of praise, many saying that it exceeded their already high expectations with incredible action and some brand new memorable characters that Star Wars fans are going to fall in love with.
Check out all the Rogue One early buzz after the jump. Read More »
