From the Associated Press:
Ip Man, a pioneer in the kung fu style that influenced Lee. Hong Kong filmmakers hope to change that by bringing Ip’s story to the big screen.
On Tuesday, action stars Donnie Yen and Sammo Hung from the U.S. TV series “Martial Law” prepared to start shooting one of two planned movies about Ip. They joined Ip’s sons in paying tribute to their father at his hometown in the southern city of Foshan, a four hours northwest of Hong Kong.
Looks line Donnie Yen is going to play Yip Man and I’m not sure what role Sammo Hung has in this production.
Slightly related — while looking at the Wikipedia article on Yip Man I noticed a reference to Wing Chun Magazine. Fans of WC might want to check the magazine out. It appears to be freely available online but you do need Adobe to read it.
~BCP
9 responses so far ↓
felinesophy // 02/27/2008 at 6:59 AM
I’ve heard too a little bit about this news, I wonder was Yip Man had strong influence in Bruce Lee?
Thanks for sharing this news, hope to hear more about it.
Your most welcome to sneak peak in my http://felinesophy.blogspot.com and have your say.
cheerz,
felinesophy
“Intertwining fate between cats and humans…loss in bedazzlement”
Mei // 07/17/2008 at 5:41 PM
I would much prefer Tony Leung Chiu Wai to play the role of Yip Man. Martial arts notwithstanding, I want to see a superb performance – acting performance – and not just another chop-socky kung fu film because Donnie Yen is a martial artist. And above all, this is going to be a film (a tribute even) to Yip Man. A martial artist does not an actor make.
Bob Patterson // 07/18/2008 at 6:23 AM
Mei -
I’ve not heard on update on the status of this movie. If I get time I’ll research it and make a post.
Yes, I too hope it’s serious but to make it appealing to martial artists it will have to showcase wing chun. Does not mean it has to be chop-socky.
Anthony White // 09/30/2008 at 11:02 PM
I think that this movie will open more persons eyes to martial arts and that Bruce lee wasn’t the greatest of fighters but one of many. Also that he was a better instructor then he was an actual fighter though he’s not in the movie.
Bob Patterson // 10/01/2008 at 3:49 AM
Here’s an update:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1220719/
Jeff // 12/22/2008 at 7:23 PM
Although Bruce Lee was one of his famous students, his training in WC was limited to merely 2 years and he only learned the first 2 forms. He’s famous for bringing WC to the states but he consequently had no one to train WC with and since mixed western boxing and fighting with WC concept, creating Jeet Kune Do.
Saying that Bruce Lee wasn’t the greatest of fighters is impossible to explain. What gives one the title of “Greatest fighter”? Would he have to step into the ring with a UFC fighter? They’re bound by rules in which he isn’t. He didn’t die from a fight, nor are there any recordings stating that he ever lost a fight. The statement from Anthony is feeble at best and unresearched. There is no such thing as “the greatest fighter” as there isn’t a means to compare. He by far is the most popular and publisized fighter ever. He brought Gung Fu to the western world and made it known. In a sense, he’s the western version of Ip Man. A pioneer.
Hoping that the movie will show a true display of WC will be difficult. The true principles of WC are very hard to make apparent to the eye and I believe it would make for a boring situation cinematically as it’s direct and the most efficient selection of attacks as possible. If the movie were true WC, it would only be about 15 minutes long as the fight scenes would be only 10 or 15 seconds in duration. What appears, to the untrained eye, as a single punch in reality could be a block, punch, block, explode.
I’d like to know the date that it’s coming to the states.
Bob Patterson // 12/23/2008 at 6:19 AM
So far I can’t find U.S. dates. In fact, knowing the way movies are in this country you’ll probably have to rent it from Blockbuster.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1220719/releaseinfo
~BCP
leung // 02/08/2009 at 8:46 PM
my opinion is that this may alienate many of the win chun clan from each other, man sifu really did not like to teach , but did out of neccessary means, my techings of ving tsun as i have taught many people have concluded that the 1st pupils a sifu teaches are usually the best who never stopped practicing, man kung was such a man a normal man who never stopped practicing, he had no rank, only rank was the familal rank in kung fu.
Bob Patterson // 02/09/2009 at 6:27 AM
Either way Wing Chun is being taught. I know there’s some who argue it’s not authentic. As for what affect the movie has on WC only time will tell.
Thanks for stopping by!