Does the venerable Hong Kong filmmaker Wong Kar-Wai have a new film in development? If Asian news outlets and translations can be trusted, the answer is yes. It was announced at one point that Kar-Wai would direct a project called "Ferryman,” but it turned out that he was only producing the film. So with a little caution, we note a new project for “The Grandmaster” filmmaker, evidently called “Blossoms.” It’s an adaptation of short stories by Jin Yucheng and set in Shanghai. Here’s a synopsis:
Depicting chores and trifles of urban life, such as grocery shopping and hosting a dinner party, Blossoms provides a vivid image of the daily life of ordinary Shanghai people. Focusing on a hundred characters, and several main ones, the whole story is carried out over two time-lines: from the 1960s to the mid-1970s, the end of the Cultural Revolution; and from the 1980s to the start of the 21st century. As the two time periods alternate, the book unveils the two faces of the city: the Shanghai of old and the modernized metropolis it is today.
WKW usually takes about five years between projects, and his shoots often take around two years or more, so we’ll see if he’s mounting his next feature this year. Meanwhile, the filmmaker is the acting artistic director of "China: Through the Looking Glass" an exhibition of Chinese art and costumes opening in May at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York: you can learn more at Thompson On Hollywood. [via Filmbiz.Asia, CRI English and Slashfilm]
Remember Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, the guys who wrote “Zombieland” and the upcoming “Deadpool” film? They’re planning their directorial debut with “Spiderhead,” which is set inside an experimental prison where the inmates are treated with a variety of cutting-edge drugs. [Film Divider]
Lastly, no word on his next directing gig, which has been said to be about a bus driver in New Jersey, but Jim Jarmusch has signed on to executive produce Gabe Klinger’s “Porto Mon Amour,” starring Anton Yelchin. [ScreenDaily]