Justin Lin to remake Jet Li's Shaolin Temple

[KUNG FU BOB]

Damn Sheng, thank you for the history lesson! They say that truth is stranger than fiction. Yet screenwriters often ignore the fascinating facts and make up some arbitrary and derivative stories when making films referencing historical events. I for one would enjoy seeing a series of realistic films starring the same basic cast that tells the real history of the temple.

[Sheng]

Again, that may be the setting, but it is certainly not the story. A young man whose parents have been murdered by an evil general joins the shaolin temple to train for revenge which he finally achieves. That's the basic story. The rest is decoration.

To reduce matters here to a simple revenge plot and call everything else “decoration” is pretty ignorant. The whole Li Shimin / Wang Shichong power struggle that led to the foundation of the Tang dynasty played out in this movie and was ultimately more important than just Li Lien-jie avenging the death of his father. The invasion of the temple grounds and the stupa forest by Wang Shishong’ army is a center-piece of the story and also what led to it, namely the refuge that Li Shimin was granted at Shaolin. And then, after Wang Shichong and his generals have to abandon the siege of the temple when they learn that Li Shimin attacked Luoyang (their capital), they’re persecuted and defeated by the monks. That was the historic victory that once & for all cemented Shaolin’s reputation as the forge of the Empire’s most superior Martial Artists.

Originally Posted by KUNG FU BOB

Damn Sheng, thank you for the history lesson!

Bú kèqì, Bob!

[kami]

To reduce matters here to a simple revenge plot and call everything else “decoration” is pretty ignorant. The whole Li Shimin / Wang Shichong power struggle that led to the foundation of the Tang dynasty played out in this movie and was ultimately more important than just Li Lien-jie avenging the death of his father.

Yeah, and all the time the filmmakers spent on these aspects compared to main plot. I suppose you are professionally interested in the subject and have therefore background knowledge that most viewers of the movie don't have. That's no reason to boast with it and call others ignorant. The movie clearly does not focus on the historical background but on the revenge and training plot. To call this movie's story something else than generic is either stupid or pretentious. I guess it's the latter.

[KUNG FU BOB]

Hey guys, lets play nice, eh? Sheng doesn't think the plot is simply a generic revenge tale, and you do. You disagree with each other. That's fine. Still, the conversation resulted in some interesting info being presented. Personally I don't think someone sharing knowledge is pretentious. Of course you may choose to feel however you want about. Personally I enjoyed reading all of these posts a lot more than the typical stuff we get posted here.

"That sucked."

"I don't think so."

"When is the DVD release?"

Nothing wrong with those kinds of posts, but they do get redundant. Don't you agree?

[Secret Executioner]

Was it really? I can’t remember off the top of my head, but how many Kung Fu movies were really set in early Tang dynasty times? SHAOLIN TEMPLE basically narrated the story of Li Shimin (the later Emperor Taizong, founder of the Tang dynasty, who ruled from 629 to 649) who was brought to power with the assistance of monastery troops from Shaolin. For its military service the temple received substantial land grants, imperial patronage and, more importantly, it ingratiated itself to Taizong’s successors. Which meant that Shaolin weathered the storms of anti-Buddhist suppression that rocked the Tang dynasty repeatedly and reached their high around 845 under Emperor Wuzong.

Of course the movie was historically hopelessly inaccurate, re-enforcing the myth that the elaborate Kung Fu / hand combat styles that emerged during the waning years of the Ming dynasty were already in existence during Tang dynasty times.

A monastic army from Shaolin helping to put a Manchu Emperor on the throne? I doubt it. Seriously now, as ficticious as the fighting styles in SHAOLIN TEMPLE were, the story is actually solidly grounded in reality. The story of monk soldiers (called senbing in Chinese) involving themselves directly in an imperial power struggle (against Li Shimin’s adversary Wang Shichong) and being a decisive factor for the future Tang Emperor’s victory had no precedent and as such remained a singular phenomenon in the 1500 years of the temple’s history. In no other time did Shaolin have closer dealings with a ruling dynasty, never before or after did the temple enjoy that much prestige at court. The (obviously simplified) events that led to that position are relayed in this particular SHAOLIN TEMPLE film.

But maybe you just meant to imply with the term “generic movie” that SHAOLIN TEMPLE is simply another Kung Fu film set in the distant (dynastic) Chinese past, featuring lots of fighting plus the usual parade of monks and abbots, villains and traitors. Well, yes it is.

Holy history lesson, Batman.

And I agree also with KUNG FU BOB, it's really enjoyable seeing stuff like this posted every now and then. Thanks alot for this, Sheng. I'm really into history but have little to no knowledge of Chinese history (except for the Japanese occupation and the Hong Kong situation), but from what I saw in some of the movies like Chang Cheh's Invincible Shaolin, I gathered that the Manchu rulers seemed like strong opponents to Shaolin. Now I kinda see why and it's nice that it's somewhat historically accurate.

[OpiumKungFuCracker]

History is always my favorite subject, please continue gentlemen!!!

[Sheng]

I suppose you are professionally interested in the subject and have therefore background knowledge that most viewers of the movie don't have. That's no reason to boast with it and call others ignorant. The movie clearly does not focus on the historical background but on the revenge and training plot. To call this movie's story something else than generic is either stupid or pretentious. I guess it's the latter.

This charge is simply ridiculous. Is it “pretentious” to try to impart some empirical background information to other readers and raise some objections to what I feel is a forum member’s wrong assessment of a film? Why are we on a specialist site like this? I’m not above stating that I myself owe some valuable insights and information tidbits to other forum members, too.

And just for the record: no, I do not have professional interest in the matter. But yes, I did consume a lot of academic literature on Shaolin precisely because it were countless numbers of Kung Fu movies in the first place that aroused my desire to put things in perspective, separate the web of myths and misunderstandings about the monastery from verifiable facts and research Shaolin’s place in history.

Irrespective of its "revenge" element, the SHAOLIN TEMPLE film tells a tale that you do not see in many other Kung Fu movies. Why else do you think there’s now a stele commemorating this film inside the temple grounds ? Its placed just a stone-throw away from the famous stele that bears Emperor Taizong’s inscription and his words of acknowledgement for the support he received from the monastic troops. There’s hundreds & hundreds of Kung Fu films celebrating the Shaolin temple, but there’s only one that was ever worthy to be memorized with the erection of a colossal basalt stele. All that because the film is nothing but a “generic” training and revenge yarn?

Well, apparently the abbot and the temple administration saw it differently and deemed the film worthy of an honor like this because the plot strongly focused on the historical facts (at least on those that the temple wants to see highlighted!) and reenacted the events that led to the now generally accepted notion that Shaolin is the cradle of Chinese Martial Arts (admittedly a highly debatable notion). Of course it shouldn’t be overlooked what obviously also influenced their deliberations, namely the film’s overwhelming commercial success that made Shaolin’s ambitious restoration possible and annually lures millions of tourist to Henan’s Dengfeng County.

[KUNG FU BOB]

This charge is simply ridiculous. Is it “pretentious” to try to impart some empirical background information to other readers and raise some objections to what I feel is a forum member’s wrong assessment of a film? Why are we on a specialist site like this? I’m not above stating that I myself owe some valuable insights and information tidbits to other forum members, too.

And just for the record: no, I do not have professional interest in the matter. But yes, I did consume a lot of academic literature on Shaolin precisely because it were countless numbers of Kung Fu movies in the first place that aroused my desire to put things in perspective, separate the web of myths and misunderstandings about the monastery from verifiable facts and research Shaolin’s place in history.

Irrespective of its "revenge" element, the SHAOLIN TEMPLE film tells a tale that you do not see in many other Kung Fu movies. Why else do you think there’s now a stele commemorating this film inside the temple grounds ? Its placed just a stone-throw away from the famous stele that bears Emperor Taizong’s inscription and his words of acknowledgement for the support he received from the monastic troops. There’s hundreds & hundreds of Kung Fu films celebrating the Shaolin temple, but there’s only one that was ever worthy to be memorized with the erection of a colossal basalt stele. All that because the film is nothing but a “generic” training and revenge yarn?

Well, apparently the abbot and the temple administration saw it differently and deemed the film worthy of an honor like this because the plot strongly focused on the historical facts (at least on those that the temple wants to see highlighted!) and reenacted the events that led to the now generally accepted notion that Shaolin is the cradle of Chinese Martial Arts (admittedly a highly debatable notion). Of course it shouldn’t be overlooked what obviously also influenced their deliberations, namely the film’s overwhelming commercial success that made Shaolin’s ambitious restoration possible and annually lures millions of tourist to Henan’s Dengfeng County.

Weird. I was just going to say the exact same thing Sheng. LOL

Great points!

Have you ever visited the Temple?

[kami]

Irrespective of its "revenge" element, the SHAOLIN TEMPLE film tells a tale that you do not see in many other Kung Fu movies. Why else do you think there’s now a stele commemorating this film inside the temple grounds ? Its placed just a stone-throw away from the famous stele that bears Emperor Taizong’s inscription and his words of acknowledgement for the support he received from the monastic troops. There’s hundreds & hundreds of Kung Fu films celebrating the Shaolin temple, but there’s only one that was ever worthy to be memorized with the erection of a colossal basalt stele. All that because the film is nothing but a “generic” training and revenge yarn?

The movie is celebrated in the temple not for the significance of the story but for the role the movie played in reestablishing traditional values and promoting the art of traditional shaolin kungfu in China. As you may know the movie was the first kungfu movie made in the PRC after Mao tried to rid the country of it's traditions and even folklore. The movie's release was therefore a sign of a change in the system ushered in by Deng Xiaoping and it was probably the first time many Chinese people who hadn't access to all the similar HK-movies came in contact with the culture of Shaolin. That resulted in a boom of interest and tourism and therefore money for the quite impoverished temple(s). There lies the special importance of the movie, not in its story.

BTW, I find the historical facts you mentioned interesting as well, the pretentious thing is that you claim all of these were important parts of the movie which they aren't. I like the movie a lot for it's many fluidly choreographed fights, its likable heroes and the authentic locations (another significant factor that seperates the movie from similar but studio bound Shaw-Brothers-movies). But let's call a generic story a generic story even if we like the movie it's in.

[One Armed Boxer]

Great to see some lively, and more importantly, insightful conversation going on in the forum again. Seems to have been a real drought of this lately, as KFB mentioned there's been an almost disproportionate amount of posts endlessly repeating "Is this out on DVD yet?", "Has anyone seen this?", "How do I watch this?" etc. etc. Enough already.

That being said, let's keep it a respectfully lively conversation. I don't think Sheng is being pretentious, and I don't think Kami is being ignorant. Both of you guys have some really good points, and if those points disagree with each other, by all means go at it, for me this kind of stuff is the life blood of the forum (just to be clear, I mean 2 people who are passionate about the genre having an intelligent discussion). I've seen your posts before, and you're clearly both cool guys, so I'd consider personality attacking to be beneath both of you, let's just enjoy the discussion.

For me as I remember the original 'Shaolin Temple' movie, it was a movie filled with some of the most amazingly acrobatic displays of Wushu ever commited to film, all wrapped up in a fairly standard tale of a country bumpkin looking to avenge the death of his parents by training in the temple. For me what Sheng has provided is some great insight into what is essentially the context that the story takes place in, which is definitely a different backdrop than what most kung-fu tales have, so it's been great to learn about. As OKFC said, keep it coming.

It'll be interesting to see what they do with the remake, it would be nice if they go for the same kind of historical context, especially if it's going to be a Hollywood movie it would mean it's free of China's censorship laws (that is, if the producers aren't concerned with it having distribution there, which is probably a whole different discussion)....but somehow, I don't think we should expect too much.

[Sheng]

The movie is celebrated in the temple not for the significance of the story but for the role the movie played in reestablishing traditional values and promoting the art of traditional shaolin kungfu in China. As you may know the movie was the first kungfu movie made in the PRC after Mao tried to rid the country of it's traditions and even folklore. The movie's release was therefore a sign of a change in the system ushered in by Deng Xiaoping and it was probably the first time many Chinese people who hadn't access to all the similar HK-movies came in contact with the culture of Shaolin. That resulted in a boom of interest and tourism and therefore money for the quite impoverished temple(s). There lies the special importance of the movie, not in its story.

This assessment is only partially correct. Without dwelling on the undeniable historical importance of the film too long: yes, it had the distinction to be the first Fu flick shot at the real Shaolin temple, it was the door-opener for the genre from a Mainland perspective as well as the launch-pad for one of the most outstanding martial artist of all times. And, as I already stated, the film also set the foundation for the temple to become a well-oiled commercial enterprise and the biggest sightseeing attraction that Henan, China’s most populous province, can boast.

But the “special importance” of the movie doesn’t end there. Yes, you might argue that for the average Western watcher hardly more than the film’s “you murdered my father, you must pay!” motif registered. And doubtlessly this “generic” revenge issue was a central element of SHAOLIN TEMPLE (like in pretty much every Kung Fu movie ever made – remember the first Western book about the genre was called “The Cinema Of Vengeance” back in 1972), but it was imbedded in a much wider historical context whose far-reaching repercussions certainly would not elude Chinese viewers or people with a basic understanding of Chinese dynastic history. Namely in the context of the Li Shimin / Wang Shichong power struggle that culminated in a decisive battle – shown in the final reel of the film – that gave rise to one of the most stable and glorified regencies in Chinese history: the Tang dynasty. Which means the film drove home the point that Shaolin was allied to the Tang rulers, moreso that the inauguration of the first Tang Emperor would have hardly been possible without the military support from Shaolin. Thereafter the monastery could count on the patronage of the Emperor and his successors and forge the closest relations that the temple ever enjoyed with any set of Chinese rulers – ironically only in the here & now are the ties to the country’s leaders as close again as they were during the three centuries of Tang rule.

To anchor the story in this particular historical context corresponded very much with the vested interests of Henan’s provincial government, the temple’s administrators and Shaolin’s abbots, especially the one in charge of the temple for the past 15 years, Shi Yongxin, member of the National People’s Congress (China’s parliament), a man who’s been nicknamed Shaolin’s “billionaire CEO” in the Chinese blogosphere and one who is certainly no stranger to controversy (for just one out of a plethora of similar articles about the abbot’s business acumen and alleged lifestyle check: http://www.newsweek.com/mr-buddhism-inc-shaolin-temples-shi-yongxin-65635).

Additionally to its reenactment of a crucial historical event the movie also presented a view of the temple as the repository of Chinese Martial Arts and entrenched the notion in people’s minds that the elaborate animal forms Kung Fu seen in it flourished at Shaolin already in early Tang times – and presumably already a good century earlier, in other words from the days of the monastery’s inception. Supposedly its founding father and the transmitter of Chan (Zen) Buddhism, the Indian monk Bodidharma (or Da Mo, as the Chinese call him) learned those animal fighting techniques during his nine-year hermitage at a mountain peak above the monastery. This myth is repeated mantra-like by whoever you encounter in Shaolin and is actually even peddled in the temple’s own English language guide-book and pretty much everybody seems to subscribe to it today.

To answer KFB’s question at this point, yes, I actually spend some time at Shaolin in the fall of 2012 and used the opportunity to roam the mountainous countryside around it, trying to escape from veritable armies of screaming tourists stampeding through the grounds of the temple and its adjacent stupa forest. When I climbed up to the peak where Bodidharma’s meditation cave is situated I found a middle-aged nun from the temple’s nearby nunnery crouched in it studying the scriptures. Taking a break in the tiny rock crevice beside her and teaching her some useful English phrases (the one she was most interested to learn was “No Photos!”) she explained that she spends every day from dusk to dawn there because she wanted to take inspiration from Da Mo’s example and actually asserted that she felt his presence next to her (popular belief is that the great sage’s shadow is etched onto the cave walls!). And within 10 minutes into our conversation she already alluded to the eminent monk’s using the cave as an observation deck to study the ways how birds and mammals fight each other, and then, during his breaks from meditating, he purportedly began to incorporate some of those movements into his daily calisthenics. And upon his return to the temple after nine years he started to teach the monks the basics of… you guessed it, all those intricate Kung Fu forms derived off animal fighting styles that you see exercised so perfectly in what our amicable nun only repped as “the film”.

So it appears that in the minds of many SHAOLIN TEMPLE is simply entrenched as the film, the legitimate reference frame for the monastery’s legacy to China and, by extension, also as a primer to understand its place in history.

[One Armed Boxer]

Twitch recently reported that Andrew Dominik has been brought on board to write the remake.

For those not familar with Dominik, he previously both directed and wrote the movies 'Chopper', 'Killing Them Softly', & 'The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford', so he definitely brings with him an expectation of quality.

Personally, I'd think I'd rather see Dominik pull writing and directing duties for this remake as opposed to having him only script it, but we'll see how Justin Lin fares, either way, it's still in 3D.

http://twitchfilm.com/2014/08/chopper-director-to-pen-justin-lins-shaolin-temple-remake.html

[the moose]

A remake of the Shaolin Temple? But the shaoiln temple is already a loose remake of 36th chamber of shaolin. Wouldn't it make more sense commercially to make a remake of 36th Chamber......

[One Armed Boxer]

A remake of the Shaolin Temple? But the shaoiln temple is already a loose remake of 36th chamber of shaolin. Wouldn't it make more sense commercially to make a remake of 36th Chamber......

I can see it now, it's the stuff nightmares are made of.....

"The Weinstein brothers have recently announced they will be producing an English language 3D remake of the classic Shaw Brothers movie '36th Chamber of Shaolin'. The original, known for creating the iconic image of Gordon Liu as the bald headed monk seeking revenge, will cast Cung Le in the pivotal role, with Michael Bay on directing duties. Bay, who recently showed his affinity for Asian culture by filming the finale of 'Transformers: Age of Extinction' in China, was the natural choice for the Weinsteins, who believe he will bring the classical tale into the 21st century. When asked about the 3D remake, Le said he plans to make Liu's role of the monk relevant for modern day audiences, and that the 36 chambers will now feature various MMA challenges, such as the arm bar wooden men challenge. Bay further elaborated that he saw Le's monk as a kind of Oriental Optimus Prime, and that with today's 3D technology combined with the latest wire work techniques, audiences could expect his remake to have "the most realistic CGI training sequences you've ever seen." The remake has been tentatively titled 'The 3(D)6th Chamber of Shaolin: Legend of the Kung-fu Dragon'"

[Drunken Monk]

I this could be good. Lin is a very solid action director and Dominik has proven himself to be one hell of a screenwriter.

We just have to wait on who gets cast now. Fingers crossed, it won't be someone terrible.

[the moose]

I can see it now, it's the stuff nightmares are made of.....

"The Weinstein brothers have recently announced they will be producing an English language 3D remake of the classic Shaw Brothers movie '36th Chamber of Shaolin'. The original, known for creating the iconic image of Gordon Liu as the bald headed monk seeking revenge, will cast Cung Le in the pivotal role, with Michael Bay on directing duties. Bay, who recently showed his affinity for Asian culture by filming the finale of 'Transformers: Age of Extinction' in China, was the natural choice for the Weinsteins, who believe he will bring the classical tale into the 21st century. When asked about the 3D remake, Le said he plans to make Liu's role of the monk relevant for modern day audiences, and that the 36 chambers will now feature various MMA challenges, such as the arm bar wooden men challenge. Bay further elaborated that he saw Le's monk as a kind of Oriental Optimus Prime, and that with today's 3D technology combined with the latest wire work techniques, audiences could expect his remake to have "the most realistic CGI training sequences you've ever seen." The remake has been tentatively titled 'The 3(D)6th Chamber of Shaolin: Legend of the Kung-fu Dragon'"

Oh deary me. The stuff of nightmares indeed. No doubt Woo Ping will be hired for Choreography duties which may be the only redemtive feature of the train crash you just mentioned above. "Oriental Optimus Prime"?? "MMA challenges"?? "CGI training sequences" - And Michael Bay!!!?? My head is buried in my hands right now.

[Secret Executioner]

Bay, who recently showed his affinity for Asian culture by filming the finale of 'Transformers: Age of Extinction' in China

Now THAT is some devotion to a country.

Maybe Woody Allen loves France, Italy and Spain because he made one entire movie in Paris, another one in Rome and yet another one in Barcelona. And hey, Christopher Nolan has to LOVE HK since a couple of scenes of The Dark Knight are set there.

I don't get what they're trying to do here TBH - sounds like they're trying to do to Shaw Bros movies what was done to Batman with the Joel Schumacher movies or to Transformers with the Michael Bay films ?!

Next, after English language, Michael Bay involved, 3D and Weinstein distributing, maybe they'll have some extra female character played by Megan Fox...

the moose: shall we stone the people who came up with these ideas, even if they didn't say "Jehovah" ?

[Noelle Shadow Kick]

I this could be good. Lin is a very solid action director and Dominik has proven himself to be one hell of a screenwriter.

We just have to wait on who gets cast now. Fingers crossed, it won't be someone terrible.

I agree. The news of Dominik joining on is definitely promising! Too early to pass judgement on this one, news thus far is optimistic.

[AlbertV]

Now that the director and screenwriter are set....who would you personally want casted in the film?

Personally, I think it would be quite interesting to see Jet Li return, but this time playing the Abbot of Shaolin, in a more non-action role.

As for the main character, that's going to be a tough one for me. Maybe they'll do what they did with the original..cast a newcomer in the role? IDK.

[Drunken Monk]

Philip Ng would be a good choice. He's a talented martial artist, relatively young and speaks English so he could promote the movie over here.

[One Armed Boxer]

Philip Ng would be a good choice. He's a talented martial artist, relatively young and speaks English so he could promote the movie over here.

I'm actually curious to know if this is still going to be a Chinese language movie as Albert stated in his first post. With Lin directing and Dominik writing it seems to indicate that this is in fact an English language movie along the same lines of the 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' sequel. If that's the case then bring on both Ng & Andy On, they both need to redeem themselves for the wasted opportunity that was 'Once Upon a Time in Shanghai'.

[Drunken Monk]

I'm actually curious to know if this is still going to be a Chinese language movie as Albert stated in his first post. With Lin directing and Dominik writing it seems to indicate that this is in fact an English language movie along the same lines of the 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' sequel. If that's the case then bring on both Ng & Andy On, they both need to redeem themselves for the wasted opportunity that was 'Once Upon a Time in Shanghai'.

I read a recent article announcing Dominik as the writer and that article said the film would still be Chinese language.

[DragonClaws]

Read this in a recent article about th Shaolin Temple flicks, starring Jet Li, from over at DenOfGeek.Com

Full article here, Link- http://www.denofgeek.com/uk/movies/shaolin-temple/58118/looking-back-at-the-shaolin-temple-series

Quote

Watching the original trilogy is a great opportunity to see the emergence of a superstar and features some of his finest onscreen fighting. He may have gone on to bigger and frequently better films but there’s a magic to Shaolin Temple that’s unique. With a Justin Lin 3D remake in the works, now’s as good a time as any to revisit the originals.

 

Can a 3-D U.S production equal the superb original?.

 

A young Jet Li, in the orignal 1983 classic directed by Cheung Sng-Yim.

[TibetanWhiteCrane]

'82  

[AlbertV]

I think the real question should be...has there been any updates since 2014? He is set to return to the Fast and Furious franchise to finish the last two films in the series apparently and there are a few more projects in the works including a Space Jam sequel? If this is still in his mind, I have a feeling we will be waiting longer than expected.