Donnie Yen's "Ip Man 3" and "The Grandmasters" news...

[Drunken Monk]

http://twitchfilm.com/news/2012/01/tony-leung-and-donnie-yen-talk-about-the-grandmasters.php

Wong Kar Wai's take on the story of Wing Chun grandmaster Ip Man, THE GRANDMASTERS, has appeared in many film critics' lists of most anticipated films of 2012. But the question is: are we really going to get to see the film in 2012?

It has been a long time (or 'forever') in the making, but the latest reports from Hong Kong seem to suggest that the answer to the above question is probably 'yes'.

The film's main actor Tony Leung Chiu Wai confirmed during promotion of his new film THE GREAT MAGICIAN that THE GRANDMASTERS is now 'close to completion'. Presumably this is by normal standards and not WKW's, which means it may be a matter of months, and not years, before the film is completed.

Another report stated that Wong Kar Wai has asked Tony Leung to reshoot some of the scenes, and that he intends to get the film ready for a film festival. The report did not specify which film festival, but my guess is that it will be Cannes Film Festival. Wong's films have traditionally done well at Cannes, having been nominated for the Palme d'Or on four occasions (HAPPY TOGETHER, IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE, 2046 and MY BLUEBERRY NIGHTS), and won best director for HAPPY TOGETHER in 1997. If this is the case, then Wong will be very motivated to get the film done over the next few months because it is now not that long till May.

By the way, Donnie Yen, who talked about the possibility of making IP MAN 3 recently, has said in another interview that he will not wait till THE GRANDMASTERS is released before he makes another Ip Man film, because he has been thinking about it and will start filming as soon as he has the time and opportunity.

I'm amazed how Yen has gone from adamantly stating he doesn't want to make another Ip Man film to saying he wants to stray away from period kung fu films to now jumping on board and even bringing the shooting time forward.

So, are we excited about "Ip Man 3?" I might be the only one, but I'm hoping it doesn't switch its focus to Bruce Lee.

[Guest Yi-Long]

I haven't seen Ip Man 2 yet, which is supposedly pretty disappointing compared to Ip Man.

About Ip Man 3: I don't know what to expect, and if it would be a good or a bad thing if it focusses on Bruce Lee. It depends on how they approach it, obviously.

I'm glad Donnie is making movies like Ip Man, instead of weapon based wuxia/war stuff.

[Drunken Monk]

I felt the choreography fell off track in "Ip Man 2" with too many close up shots and awkward edits. I genuinely like to see Sammo Hung (who seems to be getting less and less impressive) step down from choreography duties and let Donnie Yen take over.

[DiP]

Ip Man 2 was pretty good for a sequel. Some of the action was over-the-top and wirework looked out of place but I love Sammo's work here because he had control of emphasizing the choreography his own way. If only there could be a good way for Hong Kong directors to direct foreign actors in Hong Kong films though, because the language barrier pretty much limits the bridge between different people from different working systems turning collaborations into something good.

Ip Man 3 would be good but I feel it's time for him to change game plan and return to contemporary action films.

[sen_pai]

Ip Man 2 wasn't great like the first one...but it was pretty damn good. I wished they didn't have the boxing..but overall, pretty good for a sequel and definitely better than most films.

I'm glad to see him in Ip Man 3. I just think most of Donnie Yen films aren't that good.

[reason108]

Maybe he should give Ip Man a rest for a while then come back to him once he is older to cover Ip`s later years. But, then again, if they play their cards right, they might be able to squeeze out 101 Ip Man movies before Donnie retires.

[blue_skies]

I'm amazed how Yen has gone from adamantly stating he doesn't want to make another Ip Man film to saying he wants to stray away from period kung fu films to now jumping on board and even bringing the shooting time forward.

So, are we excited about "Ip Man 3?" I might be the only one, but I'm hoping it doesn't switch its focus to Bruce Lee.

As a famous Tom Cruise character once said "show me the money" and clearly someone has shown Yen that. It's pretty sad really that they openly say things as a negotiating tactic and just makes them look greedy.

Well I can't say I'm looking forward to the third movie but then I can't remember the last new Donnie Yen movie I was looking forward to barring Ip Man:squigglemouth:

[DiP]

As a famous Tom Cruise character once said "show me the money" and clearly someone has shown Yen that. It's pretty sad really that they openly say things as a negotiating tactic and just makes them look greedy.

This is just common practice of celebrities giving simple statements to satisfy people's curiosity, give people a sense of what's to expect, or just stop people from going crazy over something they want to believe. It can be true or just nonsense, depending if something actually goes through in advance or not.

Donnie announcing projects are not always true words because he always tend to say things that don't often say anything, which means we'll have to wait what he does with Ip Man 3. He has also talked about many possible future projects that it's hard to know which ones are true and which aren't. Vanguard, Thunder Cop, Assassin Couple and The Iceman Cometh 3D were announced and only the last film is confirmed to be made. Then just recently, it was revealed that his next film will be a modern action film (Special Identity) with Vincent Zhao. People and things in film business changes.

[CatNap]

http://twitchfilm.com/news/2012/01/tony-leung-and-donnie-yen-talk-about-the-grandmasters.php

Wong Kar Wai's take on the story of Wing Chun grandmaster Ip Man, THE GRANDMASTERS, has appeared in many film critics' lists of most anticipated films of 2012. But the question is: are we really going to get to see the film in 2012?

It has been a long time (or 'forever') in the making, but the latest reports from Hong Kong seem to suggest that the answer to the above question is probably 'yes'.

The film's main actor Tony Leung Chiu Wai confirmed during promotion of his new film THE GREAT MAGICIAN that THE GRANDMASTERS is now 'close to completion'. Presumably this is by normal standards and not WKW's, which means it may be a matter of months, and not years, before the film is completed.

Another report stated that Wong Kar Wai has asked Tony Leung to reshoot some of the scenes, and that he intends to get the film ready for a film festival. The report did not specify which film festival, but my guess is that it will be Cannes Film Festival. Wong's films have traditionally done well at Cannes, having been nominated for the Palme d'Or on four occasions (HAPPY TOGETHER, IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE, 2046 and MY BLUEBERRY NIGHTS), and won best director for HAPPY TOGETHER in 1997. If this is the case, then Wong will be very motivated to get the film done over the next few months because it is now not that long till May.

By the way, Donnie Yen, who talked about the possibility of making IP MAN 3 recently, has said in another interview that he will not wait till THE GRANDMASTERS is released before he makes another Ip Man film, because he has been thinking about it and will start filming as soon as he has the time and opportunity.

I'm amazed how Yen has gone from adamantly stating he doesn't want to make another Ip Man film to saying he wants to stray away from period kung fu films to now jumping on board and even bringing the shooting time forward.

So, are we excited about "Ip Man 3?" I might be the only one, but I'm hoping it doesn't switch its focus to Bruce Lee.

Well, I'm excited both by Wong Kar Wai's latest project with "The Grandmasters," (thought it was originally "The Great Grandmaster") and I'm excited by Yen's film too. I'm a Wing Chun practitioner so I can't get enough of a good film. I also love Wong Kar Wai and there's little that he does that I don't like. The only thing that will be missing is Brigitte Lin, who was rumored for a while to be attached to Wai's film but turned out to be a disappointing and malicious lie for her fans. Still - love Donnie too and personally I loved the second film better than the first because Sammo was kick ass. I don't care that the end was cheesy, I thought the action more than made up for it. I hope Sammo will be back, and yes, I too hope it doesn't shift entirely to Bruce.

Laura

[Asmo]

Good to see another Wing Chun practitioner on the board

Ip Man 3 could be good, if they do it right. The Grandmasters could be the same, just in an entirely different vein.

[SimonMW]

I felt the choreography fell off track in "Ip Man 2" with too many close up shots and awkward edits.

I feel the precise opposite. I felt that the actual Wing Chun and fluidity was better realised in Ip Man 2. I felt that some of the Wing Chun in the first film was a bit wooden.

The only thing I didn't like about the fights in Ip Man 2 was the absolutely ridiculous wirework and rushed choreography in the Sammo Hung fight. Especially the stupid slappy hands bit as they went around the circumference of the tabletop.

[One Armed Boxer]

As a famous Tom Cruise character once said "show me the money" and clearly someone has shown Yen that. It's pretty sad really that they openly say things as a negotiating tactic and just makes them look greedy.

Well I can't say I'm looking forward to the third movie but then I can't remember the last new Donnie Yen movie I was looking forward to barring Ip Man

Ha ha...good one. I think that most people on here probably read the same article where Yen adamantly states he isn't going to make any more Ip Man movies, so yes the news of 'Ip Man 3' is rightfully surprising, and has nothing to do with Donnie "giving simple statements to satisfy people's curiosity".

I wasn't really a fan of the second one, but all I can speculate regarding the third one is that I doubt the focus will be on Bruce Lee, I mean come on....Donnie making a movie where he isn't the main attraction!? Never going to happen!

blue_skies did you see '14 Blades'? That was one movie made in the midst of Yen's endless barrage of period pieces that I did actually enjoy, good performance and good fight scenes, check it out if you haven't already.

[DiP]

Ha ha...good one. I think that most people on here probably read the same article where Yen adamantly states he isn't going to make any more Ip Man movies, so yes the news of 'Ip Man 3' is rightfully surprising, and has nothing to do with Donnie "giving simple statements to satisfy people's curiosity".

It's not surprising at all because Donnie has a tendency to say stuff that can have no actual importance. That means what you hear is not always what you're going to get. After all, the news just surfaced from nowhere so we don't even know if it's true. Just because he mentions the possibility of making Ip Man 3 doesn't mean it's a go. So far, it has only been talks about making it without nothing happening.

Point is, unless it's officially confirmed, we can only wait for developments to happen instead of just believing the news right away. As I said, Donnie is currently gearing up for his first modern actioner in almost 5 years (I've checked around for sources and it's for real, confirmation has been done), is also prepping the Iceman Cometh remake, and has other projects to consider so it will be hard to see any commitment to an Ip Man 3 at this moment.

[OpiumKungFuCracker]

I prefer the modern action movies by Donnie Yen more than anything.. I've seen Flashpoint more than the Ip Man movies... Tiger Cage is fucking classic...

[blue_skies]

blue_skies did you see '14 Blades'? That was one movie made in the midst of Yen's endless barrage of period pieces that I did actually enjoy, good performance and good fight scenes, check it out if you haven't already.

I haven't but I have the DVD(borrowed) just not felt the urge to watch it. If you say it's good I'll give it a go sooner rather than later.