The current situation surrounding Chinese film star Fan Bingbing is truly bizarre. We have yet to cover the story on The Playlist, and mainly because there’s been a lot of speculation and rumors, but little actual news about Fan and her recent disappearance. But now, with the star off the radar for such an extended period of time, there is a ripple effect that looks to make a mark on a variety of high-profile projects, including Jessica Chastain’s star-studded “355.”
First, let’s take a step back and talk about what led us to these unusual circumstances. Fan Bingbing is one of China’s biggest film stars. Such a huge draw in her native country, the actress has already begun her transition into Hollywood films, appearing in a small role in “X-Men: Days of Future Past” and signing on to be in the incredible cast of Chastain’s upcoming spy thriller “355.” But her rocket to global superstardom came to an apparent abrupt halt in late July, when the actress’ Weibo account (with over 60 million followers) suddenly went silent.
Fans began to realize that the actress hadn’t been seen in public since July 1. Dots began being connected and rumors of her involvement in a tax evasion scheme began circulating, which led many to believe that Fan was silenced by the Chinese government, and is currently under some sort of detainment/house arrest. All inquiries about her status have remained unanswered and any local news outlets that post updates have the articles quickly removed. It appears that the Chinese government wants to silence one of the country’s biggest stars, and it’s using her financial issues to do it.
Fan Bingbing is accused of being involved in “yin and yang contracts,” which is an illegal method of bypassing tax laws by drawing up, and signing, two separate contracts for film roles. One contract has the actual monetary terms of the contract, while the other reportedly would have a much lower number, which would be submitted to the government. Obviously, this is illegal and is one of the subjects of China’s Communist regime’s latest crackdown on rising incomes (and influence) of film/TV stars.
With all that being said, the situation with Fan has no end in sight, Deadline is reporting that her upcoming film slate is in serious jeopardy. Even with the actress being cut from marketing materials for upcoming Chinese films, some of those films being shelved altogether, and losing endorsement deals, one of the biggest impacts might be on the aforementioned “355.”
For those that remember, “355” is the Simon Kinberg-directed spy thriller starring Chastain, Lupita Nyong’o, Marion Cotillard, Penelope Cruz, and Fan Bingbing that was all the rage when it was sold at the Cannes Film Festival. The film was quickly snatched up by distributors, including the Huayi Brothers spending a reported $20 million for Chinese distribution.
However, with the actress not apparently available for filming (and with travel outside of China expected to be impossible for quite some time), “355” finds itself without a star and huge Chinese draw. Obviously, the production can hire another Chinese actress to fill the role, which would benefit Huayi Brothers. Interestingly, however, if Fan does star in the film, due to her recent tarnished reputation in China, the government could ban the film from playing in the country, which means Huayi Brothers are out $20 million.
The rest of Deadline’s report details the full extent her disappearance has had on China’s film industry, and it’s pretty incredible. Obviously, everyone is concerned for her well-being and is upset by her alleged treatment. But the report claims that she should be back in the public eye eventually.
But in the meantime, there’s an immense amount of potential fallout from her situation.