There were bubbles in the Chinese film industry in 2016 which first excited filmmakers and investors but eventually turned into disappointments. However, hundreds of new Chinese films and filmmakers are already gearing up for a new year.
China.org.cn previews 20 Chinese films that can be looked forward to in 2017:
"Bleeding Steel"
"Bleeding Steel," a sci-fi action movie directed by Leo Zhang and starring Jackie Chan. Science fiction is a rare genre for Jackie Chan, who will play an agent protecting a witness in a conspiracy. The film has an international cast and crew, including Callan Mulvey ("Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice"), and a part of it was shot in Australia, where Chan has an extraordinary fight on the roof of the Sydney Opera House. It is reported to be the most expensive Chinese film ever shot in Australia.
The film's release date is not set yet.
"Wolf Warrior 2"
Action star Wu Jing's military action film "Wolf Warrior" ignited huge waves of enthusiasm among Chinese patriots and hard-core military fans in 2015 and grossed 540 million yuan at the box offices. The second installment, also directed by the actor, will send the protagonist to Africa for a rescue mission. American movie star Frank Grillo ("Captain America: Civil War") will also star in the film.
The film is set to be released on July 28, 2017.
"The Village of No Return"
"The Village of No Return," directed by Chen Yu-Hsun and starring Shu Qi and Wang Qianyuan, is a bold work of magical realism comedy. It centers on a strange outsider and his mysterious treasure: a helmet that makes every resident in a remote village forget about their pasts.
The film is due out on Jan. 27, 2017.
"Duckweed"
"Duckweed" is the second directorial work from writer-turned-director Han Han and stars Deng Chao, Eddie Peng and Zhao Liying. Han made his name in writing, but later seemed to have more passion for race-car driving. When his 2014 directorial debut "Continent" grossed 628.8 million yuan, he established his status as a filmmaker. "Duckweed" tells the comic and heartwarming story of a relationship between two generations in a small township.
The film will debut in China on Jan. 28, 2017.
"The One"
Lu Zhengyu first was a fan of comedian Stephen Chow, then he became part of Chow’s creative team. He co-wrote the scripts for the biggest grossing films in Chinese history "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons" and "The Mermaid," both by Chow, and even co-directed and had a supporting role in "The Mermaid." "The One" will be his first feature film starring himself, veteran actor Fan Wei and actress Amber Kuo. Judging from the promotional material and trailers, the comedy is about cuisine and kung fu.
The film is due in the summer of 2017.
"Battle of Memories"
Taiwanese director Chen Zhengdao has a stable and decent job in making "Miss Granny" and "The Great Hypnotist," both of which were big successes in the Chinese market. "Battle of Memories" will be his new sci-fi thriller about a man who is given with a selection of memories from a killer. The film stars Huang Bo, Xu Jinglei, Duan Yihong and Yang Zishan.
The film will be released on April 28, 2017.
"Brotherhood of Blades 2"
"Brotherhood of Blades 2," directed by Lu Yang and starring Chang Chen, is actually a prequel to the critically-acclaimed Ming dynasty period martial arts drama "Brotherhood of Blades." Audiences can rest assured that a great script will be implemented, mixing genres of wuxia, secret agents, detective, and action elements with elaborate martial arts choreography.
The film is set for July 2017.
Two film adaptions from "Evil Minds"
There are two films adapted from the bestselling crime detective novel series "Evil Minds" to be released in 2017. "Evil Minds," written by Lei Mi, has five volumes. It has already spawned an internet drama show.
The first feature film "Evil Minds" will be directed by Xie Dongshen and stars Liao Fan and Li Yifeng; the second one, "Evil Minds: City Light", will be directed by Xu Jizhou and stars Deng Chao, Cecilia Liu, Ethan Juan, Karena Lam and the film’s writer Lei Mi.
No release date has been set, but the two films will be released in 2017.
"City of Rock"
When his directorial debut "Jian Bing Man" grossed 1.16 billion yuan in China, everyone was stunned to see an online show host-turned-director-and-actor Da Peng present a sincere comedy that became a blockbuster. His second directorial work will be "City of Rock," which will be an original comedy about a young rock 'n' roll lover's passion for music. Da Peng posted a long letter online on his 35th birthday to explain why he chose to do this film rather than "Jian Bing Man 2", saying that he would fulfil his musical dream with this film.
The film will hit Chinese screens on Sept. 30, 2017.
"Extraordinary Misson"
"Extraordinary Misson" is a new crime film directed by Alan Mak and Anthony Pun, starring Huang Xuan and Duan Yihong. The story is written by Felix Chong. The creative team is the same one behind the groundbreaking and critically acclaimed series "Overheard" and "Infernal Affairs." The new film tells the story of a life-and-death fight between cops and drug dealers with explosive gun fighting scenes while actor Duan will play a villain.
The film is set to release on April 1, 2017.
"The Founding of an Army"
The war epic "The Founding of an Army" is the third installment of the "Founding of New China" trilogy -- The previous two installments are "The Founding of A Republic" in 2009 and "The Founding of the Party" (also known as "Beginning of The Great Revival") in 2011. It uses more than 40 A-list stars in the film and marks the 90th anniversary of the Chinese army. Andrew Lau, who directed "Infernal Affairs," will take the helm of the project to tell the story of how the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) was created. It will be very interesting to witness how actors play young versions of revolutionary heroes. Liu Ye, a veteran actor, will play a young Mao Zedong, and Zhu Yawen will play a young Zhou Enlai.
The film is set to be released on Aug. 1, 2017.
"The Great Escape"
"The Great Escape" is an art-house war epic drama directed by China's most esteemed art house director Ann Hui, starring Zhou Xun, Eddie Peng, Jiang Wenli and Wallace Huo. Set in the 1940s, it tells the story of a legendary woman Fang Gu (Zhou Xun), who is one of the key figures during the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong. It will also portray the fight and struggle for freedom and independence by youths of the resistance groups. Though Ann Hui's last epic "The Golden Era" failed at box offices, it won Best Film and Best Director awards at the Hong Kong Film Awards. "The Great Escape" will surely be a great contender for various film awards and festivals if Hui hasn’t lost her grip of her own artistry.
The film is going to be released in 2017, with the exact date TBC.
"A Rain Cloud in the Sky"
"A Rain Cloud in the Sky" is a commercial film of crime genre, directed by China's major art-house director Lou Ye who has previously made and won awards for films such as "Mystery," "Suzhou River" and "Blind Massage." It is an extraordinary career move for his fans and the film production will have unique qualities. Formerly known as "Hell Lovers" starring Jing Boran and Ma Sichun, the film has also attracting attention since it will be the first comeback feature film for the controversial Hong Kong star Edison Chen, who was involved in a widely publicised sex scandal when sexually explicit nude photographs of him with other female celebrities, including Cecilia Cheung and Gillian Chung, were posted online. Chen since quit his showbiz career up until now.
The film is set for release in 2017.
"The Summer Is Gone"
"The Summer is Gone," written and directed by Dalei Zhang as his directorial debut, is a Chinese semi-autobiographical drama film that surprisingly won Best Feature Film and Best New Performer at the 2016 Golden Horse Awards. It follows a nostalgic story of a 12-year-old boy (played by Kong Weiyi) living in China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in 1994 when many State-owned enterprises were transitioning to private companies, affecting his father's job and their lives. With this film, director Zhang Dalei turned his own memories of his father and family into lyrical prose poetry, and the child star Kong Weiyi's performance has stunned all in the film industry.
The film’s release date is on March 24, 2017.
"The Thousand Faces of Dunjia"
"The Thousand Faces of Dunjia" directed by legendary kung fu film director and choreographer Yuen Woo-ping is a remake of his own "Miracle Fighter," a supernatural kung fu film he directed in 1982. Another kung fu film master Tsui Hark is on board as producer and writer. The film will star Aarif Lee, Ni Ni, Da Peng and Zhou Dongyu. Yuen said that aside from sharing the same Chinese title of the film ("Qi Men Dun Jia"), the remake will tell an entirely new story and redefine the form of wuxia film.
The film will open in China on Oct. 1, 2017.
"Exorcism"
Pseudo-documentary thriller "Exorcism" by young director Ma Kai could very well be China's "The Blair Witch Project." The film, only made with a budget of 50,000 yuan (about US$7,500), stood out at the FIRST Film Festival Xining 2016. Using its documentary style to explore the superstitions of rural areas, the film is able to build tension by secretly shooting and following the characters, and features a number of twists and turns. Many who had seen the film are calling it "the best domestic thriller in a decade" and "really scary." After winning praise at FIRST, Ma has become one of the most sought after independent directors. Tencent Pictures has acquired the film and will give him a budget and professional crew to reshoot part of the film, in order to make it better.
The film is set for a 2017 release and could be a dark horse in the Chinese market.
"Fang Hua"
After receiving accolades in many festivals for his film "I'm Not Madame Bovary," director Feng Xiaogang will take the helm of a new project "Fang Hua" with a budget of more than 120 million yuan. It tells the life and love story of young people in a military art troupe during the 1970s - 1980s, as the era goes through drastic changes. The story will be written by famous writer and film script writer Yan Geling, who previously penned Zhang Yimou's "The Flowers of War" and Chen Kaige's "Forever Enthralled." Feng Xiaogang also claimed he would only cast actresses for the film who have never had plastic surgery to maintain a real, natural and sincere feel.
The film will debut in China on Oct. 1, 2017.
"Wu Kong"
"Wu Kong" is a film adaptation of the "no.1 Internet novel" Wu Kong Biography, written by Zeng Yu, under the pseudonym Jin Hezai, which is actually an alternative and post-modern narrative of the stories of Sun Wukong, the Monkey King from the ancient Chinese fantasy classic "Journey to the West." The book became an instant hit and cultural phenomenon, selling 2 million copies since 2000, so the new film is very much anticipated. It is directed by Derek Kwok, who co-directed Stephen Chow's "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons" in 2013, and starring Hong Kong actor Shawn Yue and Taiwan actor Eddie Peng.
The film will hit Chinese theaters on July 13, 2017.
"Kukai"
Chen Kaige's new fantasy film "Kukai" is a Sino-Japanese co-production based on novel "Samon Kukai Tou no Kuni nite Oni to Utagesu" written by Yumemakura Baku and stars Zhang Yuqi, Huang Xuan, Sometani Shota and Keiko Matsuzaka. First published in 2004, the novel tells the story of a young Buddhist monk (played by Sometani) who journeys to China during the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907) and befriends poet Bai Juyi, known in novel as Rakuten Haku (Huang). Together they try to get to the root of a historical mystery. The film cost 900 million yuan to make, not including the construction of Tang Dynasty-styled film studio city in Xiangyang, Hubei Province. It is reported that the studio city took 6 years and cost 3 billion yuan to build. It will be a tourism spot after the film is completed. In any sense, it is a huge project involving astronomical figures of money while the director elaborately and beautifully shot the film in detail..
The film is set to debut in China on Dec. 22, 2017.
"Journey to the West: The Demons Strike Back"
Written and produced by Stephen Chow and directed by Tsui Hark, "Journey to the West: The Demons Strike Back" is a big collaboration between the two legendary filmmakers. It is the "King meets King" combo as Chow is always recognized by audiences as the "King of comedy" and Tsui as the "King of martial art films."
The film, another adaptation based on China's ancient fantasy novel "Journey to the West," is a sequel to 2013's "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons," which was directed by Chow and grossed 1.244 billion yuan (US$203.5 million), the highest grossing Chinese film of the year. Chow and Tsui Hark, the two box office champions, were heavily involved in the production and let their imaginations go wild in creating brand new and innovative content for the film while maintaining some traditional elements from the fantasy novel.
It is set to break a series of Chinese film industry records with its debut on Jan. 28, 2017, during the Spring Festival. Chow's last film, "The Mermaid," was the biggest winner this holiday season, grossing 3.39 billion yuan (US$517.3 million) in its total run in 2016 to become the highest grossing Chinese film ever. The only mystery remains for 2017 is whether "The Demons Strike Back" can top it.
