So remember a couple of years ago when it was announced that The Weinstein Company and Miramax had made a deal which would basically allow them to sequelize everything in the catalogue, with rumors of follow-ups to "Rounders," "Shakespeare In Love," "Swingers" and more all tossed around? Well, Harvey Weinstein hasn't given up the idea of trying to franchise past ideas, only this time, it's a title he sort of didn't have anything to do with the first time around.
The Weinstein Company is gearing up to lens a sequel to Ang Lee's "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" with filming to start in May. Say what? Basically, the Weinsteins and Sony (who released the original movie) battled over the rights to the books by the author of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," and they were able to snare them, as the family of writer Wang Du Lu were not happy with the paltry sum they got in the wake of the success and Oscar glory of Lee's film.
And so now, here we are. The project has a script from John Fusco ("The Forbidden Kingdom," "Hidalgo") and is based on the book "Silver Vase, Iron Knight," the fifth book in "Iron Pentalogy" ('Crouching Tiger' was the fourth). The story will center on Yu Shu Lien, played by Michelle Yeoh in 'Crouching Tiger,' but it's unclear yet who exactly will reprise their roles this time around. Here's the story synopsis along with who played the parts in the first movie **SPOILERS**:
Jen (Zhang Ziyi) gives birth to Lo's (Chang Chen) son. Fang secretly replaces her son with a baby girl, Silver Vase. Later Fang is robbed and rescued by an armed escort. Jen's son is taken to Han Wen Pei's home by the maid and named Iron Knight. After growing up, Iron Knight travels miles to look for his parents. When he finally meets Jen and Lo in the desert, he doesn't recognize them until they are both killed in front of him. The pentalogy ends when Iron Knight and Silver Vase are joined together. In the end, Yu Shu Lian (Yeoh) dies from disease and Li Mu Bai (Chow Yun-Fat) loses his chance to be with her forever. But the biggest tragedy is the tiger (Lo) perishes in the icy mountain and the dragon (Jen) gets lost in the desert.
Looks like tragedy all around, with still some kicks and punches in there too, and there are some blanks in there that need to be filled (Fusco has said characters from books two and three will also be linked in). Legendary fight choreographer Wo Ping Yuen is being sought to return (he worked on the Fusco-penned 'Forbidden Kingdom') and Ronny Yu ("China White," "Freddy Vs. Jason") is in talks to direct. Good idea? Bad idea? Tell us below. [Deadline]
