The 34-part series is set in Ming Dynasty under Jia Jing reign when the nation was plagued by Japanese pirates. Sammo Hung will play an eminent monk.
Christopher Lee will play General Qi Ji Guan who, with the help of a group of monks, guards the kingdom against the pirates, while Jeanette Aw plays a pirate's sister who falls for the former (wu-jing.org). Yuen Biao has joined the cast for the season.
Filming of 33 episodes The Shaolin Warriors TV series has wrapped up recently and is now undergoing post-production.
The cast includes Sammo Hung, Cui Lin, Li Man, Sammy Hung, Liu Ying, Jeanette Aw, Qin Yan, Christopher Lee, Cui Peng. Director Raymond Lee says in an interview on January 16 that he loves Cheung Sing Yim's Shaolin Temple, and filming Shao Lin Warriors TV series is a fulfilment of his childhood dreams.
Shaolin Temple: Monks and Marines is about Shaolin monks joining General Qi Ji Guang's marines to help defend the nation against Japanese pirates. Shao Lin Warriors is scheduled for release later this year.
Being co-produced by Shaolin Temple's abbot Shi Yong Xing entails participation of Shaolin Temple, forming a special group of extras that include 120 Shaolin warrior monks, 200 lay followers and novice monks. Over ten of the warrior monks are responsible for the martial arts choreography, which implies authentic Shaolin Kungfu being showcased on the screen.
Raymond Lee says that he had a discussion with Shi Yong Xing a month prior to filming, and they, apparently, kept no secrets. The main cast members spent just over ten days training in the fundamentals in Shaolin Temple, which is barely sufficient. Shaolin Temple has also opened its door to the production, allowing Raymond Lee to film on location in Shaolin Temple.
Sammo Hung plays an eminent monk Big Foot, the top Shaolin warrior monk, while his son Sammy Hung plays his disciple and successor Yue Kong. Raymond Lee expresses great satisfaction for Sammo Hung, who, despite his age, turns in fantastic performance, "Being a martial artist, he's able to execute all the moves, be them fist or staff, exactly as what the warrior monk did, after being shown only once." As opposed to the more cruel and lethal moves in SPL, Sammo Hung's moves are more benign here, being a monk after all. Apart from his exceptional martial arts ability, Big Foot is a little zany, seems to clairvoyant occasionally, yet appears so ordinary in the next moment. |