Enter the Fat Dragon (2020) - Donnie Yen

[DiP]

Wong Jing will direct the movie and Donnie will play the lead... wearing a fat suit. Shooting starts at the end of this year.

http://filmcombatsyndicate.blogspot.se/2017/09/enter-fat-dragon-donnie-yen-announces.html

https://twitter.com/AsianFilmStrike/status/904671696363323392

Edited December 29, 2019 by DiP

[whitesnake]

Sounds like a bad concept.  Why not just give us a new Blu-ray/DVD release of the original movie?  

 

[DrNgor]

I certainly never would've expected a remake of this, let alone one with Donnie Yen. Hopefully they can get Michael Jai White to play the black fighter, instead of Wang Baoqiang in blackface. In any case, do we have no more young, rotund martial artists anymore?

[kingofkungfu2002]

Dear god, no!

[DragonClaws]

Is this a late Aprils Fool's?, or did somebody slip some narcotics into my cornflakes and milk this morning?.

 

[DiP]

8 hours ago, DrNgor said:

In any case, do we have no more young, rotund martial artists anymore?

There's plenty in China, actually. But investors don't wanna take risks of putting them in lead roles. These days it's all about money so the biggest draws are the ones in high priority.

[DiP]

7 hours ago, DragonClaws said:

Is this a late Aprils Fool's?, or did somebody slip some narcotics into my cornflakes and milk this morning?.

 

The whole project screams "mindless entertainment", something that Wong Jing is synonymous with.

On the bright side at least Yen is producing three movies for his own production company at the same time, two of which he's starring in. One of them could be much speculated sequel to Flash Point.

Edited September 4, 2017 by DiP

[Omni Dragon]

My reaction:

Edited September 5, 2017 by Silver and Gold Dragon

[DragonClaws]

On 05/09/2017 at 0:46 AM, DiP said:

On the bright side at least Yen is producing three movies for his own production company at the same time, two of which he's starring in. One of them could be much speculated sequel to Flash Point.

A sequel would have been a cool idea, with Sammo Hung playing an older version of his character.

It's an odd choice, but like you said it could still be entertaining.

Imagine what fans would have said, if the internet was around when Jackie Chan announced Miracles. A re-make of a non Martial Arts movie, from the golden era of Hollywood.

[AlbertV]

Here may be an idea of what we can expect. Donnie in a 2015 commercial where he was in a suit that could be similar to what he may wear in the remake.

 

[Frank Bolte]

a sequel would be great... a last hooray for Sammo... he took over the food stall from his uncle and now his nephew (Donnie) comes from the country to help out

other than that I rather see a restored version on bluray of the original...

[DiP]

Wong Jing confirms that this will not be a remake of Sammo's movie but will only use the same title while using a completely different story featuring Donnie as great fighter who becomes overweight as a result of emotional issues before deciding to lend his martial arts for an unlikely career in fighting crime.

http://www.scmp.com/culture/film-tv/article/2112909/donnie-yen-talks-about-gangster-epic-chasing-dragon-and-reuniting

[Frank Bolte]

thank f..k its not a remake

[AlbertV]

2 hours ago, Frank Bolte said:

thank f..k its not a remake

I agree and I do like that concept of the new ETFD. It will still be interesting to see Yen do his fight scenes wearing the suit.

[DiP]

Teaser poster

 

https://www.facebook.com/donnieyen.asia/

[DiP]

Shooting commenced yesterday in Hong Kong. However, Donnie and few other principal castmembers --- actresses Teresa Mo, Sandra Ng, and Niki Chow --- were not present on the set. Donnie just came back from vacation to continue shooting Big Brother.

https://hk.news.appledaily.com/local/daily/article/20171227/20256270

Edited December 27, 2017 by DiP

[DiP]

Japanese stuntman/action director Kenji Tanigaki will be directing the movie alongside Wong Jing making this his directorial debut in a Hong Kong movie. Also, Wong Jing himself will be acting in the movie.

 

Edited December 30, 2017 by DiP

[DiP]

Donnie on set. Still no suit in use.

 

http://hk.crntt.com/doc/1049/4/8/8/104948839.html?coluid=7&kindid=0&docid=104948839

[DragonClaws]

15 minutes ago, DiP said:

Donnie on set. Still no suit in use.

I wonder if they will rely more on the use of digital effects for this one?.

[Omni Dragon]

5 hours ago, DiP said:

Donnie on set. Still no suit in use.

5 hours ago, DragonClaws said:

I wonder if they will rely more on the use of digital effects for this one?.

Or maybe Wong Jing will double for Donnie:

[One Armed Boxer]

1 hour ago, Silver and Gold Dragon said:

Or maybe Wong Jing will double for Donnie:

 

Good one!

7 hours ago, DragonClaws said:

I wonder if they will rely more on the use of digital effects for this one?.

I was thinking the same thing, especially since the reason why Yen didn't return to 'The Monkey King' franchise is because he didn't enjoy having to suffer through the amount of time it took to put the Monkey King makeup on every day.  I imagine this may be a similar scenario, but then he has already wore the fat suit for the commercial that he did, so I guess it would be a shame for it to go to waste...unless of course it was never designed to be durable over the length of time it takes to shoot a movie (even if it is a Wong Jing movie).

[DragonClaws]

15 hours ago, One Armed Boxer said:

I was thinking the same thing, especially since the reason why Yen didn't return to 'The Monkey King' franchise is because he didn't enjoy having to suffer through the amount of time it took to put the Monkey King makeup on every day.  I imagine this may be a similar scenario, but then he has already wore the fat suit for the commercial that he did, so I guess it would be a shame for it to go to waste...unless of course it was never designed to be durable over the length of time it takes to shoot a movie (even if it is a Wong Jing movie).

Looks like there's green screen in the background of the picture @DiP posted too.

 

16 hours ago, Silver and Gold Dragon said:

Or maybe Wong Jing will double for Donnie:

There may have been a change in casting LOL.

[KUNG FU BOB]

On 1/21/2018 at 9:42 AM, DragonClaws said:

I wonder if they will rely more on the use of digital effects for this one?.

It is possible that they will use a motion capture process similar to what is used in the new PLANET OF THE APES movies. Though the process has become fairly standard among the bigger effects houses these days, it's really quite remarkable. First they take a super high resolution scan of an actor's body, usually wearing only tight underpants, and with a bald-cap covering their hair. The person's hair-line is drawn/traced onto the bald-cap using a marker. The reason for this is because it is important to get as close as possible to the subject's skull dimensions, and hair changes shape too easily. The hair will be added later using different programs, based on many photographs. The body/facial scans are used to generates a three dimensional representation/digital sculpture/rendering of the subject in the computer. Everything has perfect measurements, and even the dimensions of tiny scars and imperfections in the skin are captured. Often different expressions and positions are also scanned. For instance, flexed and relaxed arms, angry, sad, surprised expressions, etc. Then the digital effects people basically work backwards, creating an approximation of the subjects muscle and skeletal structures which are given "joints" of motion and degrees of "muscle" flexibility so that their digital version of the person can be posed and manipulated while keeping within the proper constraints of human anatomy. In other words, their digital person's head won't turn around completely backwards, nor will their knee bend forward (unless they want them to). Once all this is established, the coloring and fine-tuning of details (hair, the color of veins beneath skin, eyelashes, etc) takes place, with digital artists "bringing life" to the digital version. But then it gets really interesting... the actual performer is then put into a special form-fitting outfit, including a helmet that has a small camera attached to it, which comes down in front of and points at the performer's face. A pattern of dots is carefully applied to their face, and these dots will be "read" by the helmet camera, and feed information back to the computer so that when the performer moves, the digital version will mimic the same expressions. The suit itself has small lights which act for the body in the same way that the dots do for the face. So if the performer lifts his arms over his head, the positioning of the suit's lights tells the digital version to make corresponding movements.

This technique can be used to "show" an actor falling realistically off a cliff, on fire, etc.  But it can also be used to capture a nuanced performance from an actor, and have it played out by an altered digital version of them, or even a completely different character, like Andy Serkis' acting is put into the digital character Caesar in the previously mentioned APES movies, or other movement actors' can become aliens in a sci-fi flick. So by using a digital scan of Donnie Yen, the digital sculptors would be able to create a "fat version" of him, which they could put into the film, replacing the normal Donnie. This may be the preferable method to use in this case, at least, for action scenes, as prosthetic makeup effects would not hold up well under extremely hot conditions... such as shooting in Hong Kong, under studio lights, while repeatedly filming difficult action that causes the performer to sweat a lot. They appliances would have to be constantly touched up, repaired, or even reapplied.

On 1/21/2018 at 4:52 PM, One Armed Boxer said:

Good one!

I was thinking the same thing, especially since the reason why Yen didn't return to 'The Monkey King' franchise is because he didn't enjoy having to suffer through the amount of time it took to put the Monkey King makeup on every day.  I imagine this may be a similar scenario, but then he has already wore the fat suit for the commercial that he did, so I guess it would be a shame for it to go to waste...unless of course it was never designed to be durable over the length of time it takes to shoot a movie (even if it is a Wong Jing movie).

Though a "fat suit" could be reused, that would only be for areas which are covered in clothing. Like an actual suit, it is made up of different pieces- legs, torso, arms, etc, which are tailored to fit precisely over the performer's real body, fasten to one another, and are made to move in natural-looking conjunction with one another, much like our own muscles each effect another. Portions of fat suits are often filled with a thick liquid so that they bounce/jiggle/sway as a real fat person's body moves. But as far as hands, arms, neck, and face goes... these things cannot be re-used. These are created in foam latex or silicone, which moves and stretches similar to real skin, and made up of individual pieces which overlap each other, and must be glued on to the actor one piece at a time. For a face alone, for a "fat" makeup, there are typically cheeks, nose, upper lip, lower lip, chin/jaw, forehead, and up to three pieces for the neck. They must each be carefully blended into one another, and that means that the edges are tissue-paper thin. Effectively applying prosthetic makeup requires a skill set that is akin to being a sculptor, painter, and a surgeon. It's really a fascinating form of artistry! Anyway, because the pieces are so delicate (often ripping just from an actor's repeated facial movements after a couple of hours, and frequently needing repairs) each time they are removed at the end of the day, they are completely destroyed. (BTW- applying an extensive makeup can take 3-10 hours, and it also requires many hours- typically at least a third of the application time- to safely remove it!) Therefore, when filming a character with prosthetic makeup, for the entirety of the film's production new appliance pieces are being generated every day (along with backups). That means that if there are 42 shooting days involving that character, at least 50 noses, 50 left cheeks, 50 right cheeks, etc, must be run from molds throughout production.

Gary Oldman just played Winston Churchill in the film DARKEST HOUR (2017), and I believe he said he had to be made up with prosthetic appliances 63 times! In all, he spent over 200 hours in makeup.

Here is an example of an incredible prosthetic makeup. It was created by "The Godfather of Makeup Effects" Dick Smith, to age the then 33 year old Dustin Hoffman into the 121 year old version of the character Jack Crabb in the film LITTLE BIG MAN (1970). This makeup even included revolutionary, tiny, delicate eyelid appliances, and special contact lenses to create the impression of aged eyes by simulating cataracts.

[DragonClaws]

35 minutes ago, KUNG FU BOB said:

It is possible that they will use a motion capture process similar to what is used in the new PLANET OF THE APES movies. Though the process has become fairly standard among the bigger effects houses these days, it's really quite remarkable. First they take a super high resolution scan of an actor's body, usually wearing only tight underpants, and with a bald-cap covering their hair. The person's hair-line is drawn/traced onto the bald-cap using a marker. The reason for this is because it is important to get as close as possible to the subject's skull dimensions, and hair changes shape too easily. The hair will be added later using different programs, based on many photographs. The body/facial scans are used to generates a three dimensional representation/digital sculpture/rendering of the subject in the computer. Everything has perfect measurements, and even the dimensions of tiny scars and imperfections in the skin are captured.

Thats one helluva post, you know a lot about the process dude.

 

36 minutes ago, KUNG FU BOB said:

Gary Oldman just played Winston Churchill in the film DARKEST HOUR (2017), and I believe he said he had to be made up with prosthetic appliances 63 times! In all, he spent over 200 hours in makeup.

Man that require some patience, to sit still while it's all being applied. Thats the side of the entertianment industry, they dont highlight in the Celebrity magazines/media.

[KUNG FU BOB]

On 1/22/2018 at 1:23 PM, DragonClaws said:

Thats one helluva post, you know a lot about the process dude.

 

Man that require some patience, to sit still while it's all being applied. Thats the side of the entertianment industry, they dont highlight in the Celebrity magazines/media.

Glad you liked it. I'm sure most people were bored out of their minds and rolling their eyes!

Originally I wanted to be a filmmaker (horror and martial arts genres mainly) and specialize in special makeup FX. All different types of movie magic have always fascinated me (model work, matte painting, optical effects...), starting with Willis O'Brien's groundbreaking stop motion animation work on KING KONG (1933) and Ray Harryhausen's phenomenal work in the same field. Then when my Dad showed me pictures of makeup pioneer Jack Pierce turning Boris Karloff into the Frankenstein's monster I became interested in that aspect of effects work, and read everything I could find on it. But the thing that sent me over the edge from doing 2-dimensional art into sculpting and creating makeup FX was seeing AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON (1981). When we left the theater I asked my Dad if he could buy me some clay (which he immediately did), and I dove headfirst into creating monsters and makeup effects. Girlfriends and buddies wound up becoming test models/guinea pigs, and getting stuff glued to them, and being painted into all manner of creatures and victims. But I mostly wound up experimenting on myself, and though I enjoyed acting as "a monster" or whatever, having your entire head covered in glue and latex is an exhausting and unpleasant thing to go through!

Anyway... back on track...

I agree with everyone's sentiments that Warner Brothers should dust off their print of ENTER THE FAT DRAGON and immediately release this Sammo Hung classic as a nice Blu-ray. "Hello... Warner Brothers? Are you listening?"

Regarding this new Donnie Yen film, I'm always extra excited whenever the Yen-Man is doing something with kung fu fighting (though I did pre-order CHASING THE DRAGON too. Is it tomorrow yet?!  LOL), and Wong Jing's special brand of ridiculous entertainment is often just the right kind of "mindless good time" that I'm looking for. So I'm definitely hopeful for something funny with good action. Bring it on!