Jet to Star in "Madame White Snake"

[Guest LoBo]

Link: http://entertainment.xin.msn.com/en/celebrity/buzz/asia/article.aspx?cp-documentid=4322433

Chen Xiadong is a other name for Ching Siu Tung.

At its most basic, the story tells of a young scholar who falls in love with a beautiful woman, unaware that she is a white snake who has taken on human form. A monk intervenes in order to save the scholar's soul and casts the white snake into a deep well at the Leifeng Pagoda.

Over the centuries the story has evolved from horror story to romance with the scholar and the white snake-woman genuinely in love with one another, but such a relationship is forbidden by the laws of Heaven. There have also been variations on the telling of the story: like the scholar adopting the white snake as a pet while still a schoolboy; or himself being banished from Heaven and becoming a mere human on Earth.

An added character is a green snake (or in some cases a carp) who has also been turned into a woman and serves as the white snake-woman's soul sister and confidante.

Raymond Lam to collaborate with Jet Li:

It was a battle of the stars as leading men Ethan Ruan, Peter Ho, Mark Chao and Raymond Lam fought it out for the lead role in Madam White Snake.

All were vying to act in acclaimed Chinese director Chen Xiadong's latest production.

In the end, it was the TVB leading male artiste that emerged triumphant.

It was reported that Ethan and Mark were dropped as they were deemed to be not well-known enough in China.

On the other hand, Peter Ho's image did not suit the male lead. Hence, it ultimately boiled down to Raymond, whose looks are perfect for the role.

Slated to act alongside action film star Jet Li in the HKD 200m (SGD 40m) production, Raymond would be portraying the role of Xu Xianyi.

Filming for Madame White Snake commenced last Friday. Other cast members include Chinese actress Huang Shengyi and pop idol Charlene Choi.

When approached for a confirmation on Raymond's role, director Chen said, "I've signed a non-disclosure agreement, so I can't tell you anything temporarily. It's best that you ask the movie company instead!"

Raymond's employers TVB also refused to confirm the report. Said TVB's resource executive, Le Yiling, "Nothing's confirmed yet. Raymond has other projects under discussion. Just wait longer and you'll find out."

Meanwhile, the star, who was hospitalised for a neck injury days earlier, had returned to work, filming for his new television drama Colorful World of Sister Fa, alongside actress Charmaine Seah.

"I'll have to hang in there even if my body can't take it (the workload), I don't want to affect the crew or waste time. My schedule's already packed till lunar new year next year," he sighed.

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Nobuhiko Kawamoto