Shi - The Motion Picture Update

[Bladewarrior]

Ahhh. Sorry, I hadn't realized that. Not that it matters to Mimi or the others producing the movie, but everyone here is ok with Shi being stripped down and redone? Has anyone expressed their dissapointment on that? I'm just curious.

[Delvie]

I have, but I prefer to do it privately w/ Billy as opposed to publicly. As my friend, I support him in whatever he needs to do to get this in motion. I know his hands are tied. He has a choice of making his mark in the movie industry as the creator of Shi in whatever form he can get her onto film or holding out forever & hoping somebody in hollywood is smart enough to recognize what an awesome movie SHI: Way Of The Warrior could be. Perhaps (&hopefully), when Mimi gets "her" Shi movie made, & Billy gets a few more movie credits under his belt, he will consider going back & making an independent Shi film the way he pictured it in the beginning. But for now, I hope this new version of Shi kicks ass.

PS. Read this fast. I expect this to be deleted in case someone has her spies reading. Go for it Billy.  ;D

[Delvie]

For the record, I thought Ziyi did an awesome job as geisha. I just hate it when we Americans do something to perpetuate the belief that we are culturally ignorant. Hiring Ziyi to play a Japanese girl seems to fall under that category. If it were some b-rated movie, that's one thing, but a blockbuster film touted around the world as a "cultural film"?
Anal? Yes. Sorry. I'm a perfectionist. Am I worried about it? No. It was a good movie. Cast a Pakistani in the role of King Arthur & I'd still love it if it was a good movie.

I care about Shi: The Movie, so if me posting the article about the results of casting Ziyi could bump Mimi a little closer in the direction of a 1/2 Japanese actress, I figured I would give it a shot.

[Bladewarrior]

I appreciate you clearing that up for, and whatever the reasons may be for the movie going in the direction that it has gone in, I'll just keep praying the Billy is able to produce something with the same amount of quality that he gave to Shi.

[suryanijan]

You mean King Arthur was not Aryan???

Just a note that if someone is biracial (I really hate that word), it usually shows in their features.  Trying to cast a "pure" (barf) Chinese, Japanese, Korean, whatever as a biracial is usually not going to work.  Like casting King Arthur as a Pakistani.

Delvie, what did you think of Gong Li?  I heard she stole the show.  I still can't see it as yet as I have my grandmother visiting for the hols and if she finds out she will go ballistic.  Just so happens she pounds the sands and refuses to let us have anything to do with the Japanese.  Not sure why but it could have been she is a WWII survivor, having had her daughter murdered, been raped and interrogated and incarcerated for being a British spy and also lost half her children and had to spend decades recovering them.

That saying, a number of my close friends are Japanese.  There are a lot of issues behind supposed bias or prejudice.  The biggest problem is actually ignorance.  And the propensity to spout off in that ignorance.  That saying, I am going to bugger off after the unfashionable spouting off.

[Delvie]

You mean King Arthur was not Aryan???

Delvie, what did you think of Gong Li?  I heard she stole the show.

A lil darker, perhaps.

That might be overstating it a bit w/ Gong Li, but she certainly did well. I think talent-wise everybody did a bang up job.

[QuinnJonLee]

The SHI you know isn't going to be the Shi the movie.

Originally, Willie co-wrote the SHI script w/ another writer. Under my understanding, when Mimi portioned the SHI movie she didn't want anything to do w/ the original script because of possible legal problems. So really, all she wants is the name SHI. No tale of family honor. No tale of a girl torn between 2 worlds she's known since birth. If I remember correctly, she didn't even want the naginata. So, as a result, the SHI movie will be a somewhat thriller/horror movie resembling nothing we know of "Ana".


amended: JEEZEY CHREEZEY! What the hell happened to my spell checker last night?

If that is the case I think Billy should pull out now. Unless he sold her, and lost all his rights to her. Then what can he do? Nothing I imagine, but we could cause a huge stinky buzz about it, and no one would see it. Vengeance would be ours! Join me. Together we can defeat the emperor, and rule the galaxy. As father and son.  ;)

[Delvie]

I have confidence this movie will rock, regardless which path this story takes. I would love to see WOTW, but I'm open minded enough to support Billy & hope all will turn out well.

[Achilles]

For the record, I thought Ziyi did an awesome job as geisha. I just hate it when we Americans do something to perpetuate the belief that we are culturally ignorant. Hiring Ziyi to play a Japanese girl seems to fall under that category

I really would not blame the Americans for this. The company co-producing the picture and financing it was Columbia Pictures, which is owned by Sony, which is Japanese. You can read the article on the internet over at google news. Even the Japanese know Ziyi Zhang is the most beautiful actress on the planet and very talented as well. She was amazing in Geisha and has the Award nominations to prove it. Gong Li was tremendous also and I am shocked she has not had any nominations yet. Michelle Yeoh was great also.

On the issue of Shi however, it is a big mistake not to cast someone that is hapa.

[QuinnJonLee]

When it comes to movies no matter where you are the idea is to get, or put butts in the seats, and sell tickets. To do that you usually get the best players you can for what you can afford. Zhang Ziyi maybe the hottest actress worldwide right now, and she was by far the hottest Asian actress in the world when the movie went into production. It's obvious nobody cared if she was Japanese, or not. Not even the Japanese backers that were producing the movie. It's art. There is always a level of suspension of disbelief you have to adhere to when you watch a film.  People are just being ridiculous about the whole thing at present time. Hopefully they will wake up shortly.

[Delvie]

I think we are disagreeing merely for the sake of disagreeing, now. You surely don't think casting decisions went up the chain to Sony do you? Granted, the inner workings of show business is not my forte, but that seems to be stretching it. Be that as it may, this movie is viewed as a Hollywood movie & not a foreign movie.
The rest of it? Nail. Head. BOOM! Ziyi is the most popular right now & as QLee pointed out, it's all about the Bens.

[QuinnJonLee]

I think we are disagreeing merely for the sake of disagreeing, now.

I wasn't actually referring to the people in here by that I should have been more clear. I was thinking more towards the disturbed individuals comments from the article. They have crossed over the line of reality, and into a dark psychosis.

[Delvie]

I wasn't actually referring to the people in here by that I should have been more clear. I was thinking more towards the disturbed individuals comments from the article. They have crossed over the line of reality, and into a dark psychosis.

I knew that. ;P

[Achilles]

The people financing the film (the Japanese) would have a huge say in who get's cast for a film. For any film, regardless of who is doing it, the company financing the film calls the shot in regards to casting.(Those who have the gold make the rules) Little Chiyo, Little Pumpkin, and adult age Pumpkin were all Japanese actresses as well as the lady who played either the auntie or the madame that ran the Geisha house. The male leads were all Japanese. It's not like the movie did not have any Japanese people in it. Regardless, I enjoyed the movie very much. There are only 300 Geisha left in all of Tokyo with a population of thirty million people. I doubt if there are many Japanese that really know much about Geisha's, much less the world.

[Delvie]

[Achilles]

Now if Mission Impossible 3 is a big hit, then possibly the actress (that's hapa) Billy mentioned could come to the forefront if there is a lot of talk about her. The problem is, I think Mission Impossible 3 might be a bomb because everyone is sick and tired of Tom Cruise and his weird behavior.

I really think Amy Dunn looks like Shi, but she does not have much of an acting resume and the money people don't invest in unknowns.

[Nishiko]

I really think Amy Dunn looks like Shi, but she does not have much of an acting resume and the money people don't invest in unknowns.

And yet you still insist on pimping Jaymee Ong for a lead role, whose IMDB acting résumé is barely six years long and consists almost entirely of bit parts scored every odd year starting in 1999.

...yeah.

[suryanijan]

Uses the Black & Decker dustbuster to dust off the petard and hands it to Nishi.  

[Achilles]

I don't think I am pimping Jaymee Ong. I have merely voiced my opinion on who should be cast. Jaymee Ong does have an acting resume. She has also played the lead in at least one of those films as well as one of the main characters in the others. So I think she qualifies much more then the stunt person you recommended. I think Amy Dunn looks the most like Shi, but her resume is pretty limited. Her biggest claim to fame was having a scene with Sandra Bullock in Miss Congeniality as one of the girls in the beauty contest. Regardless, no matter who recommends who, the people financing the film will make the call. I am just anxious to find out who it will be.

[jamarmiller]

well I am just hopeing this movie gets made doesnt seem like it will ever get made

[Achilles]

Now Cecilia Cheung my make a good Shi. I read she is 3/4 Asian and 1/4 Caucasian. She kind of looks like Shi in the face.



I just wish they would hurry up and pick somebody.

[QuinnJonLee]

AFAIK Zhang Ziyi is still slated as Ana.  Lately people in here seem to have issues with the Chinese. Everything has to be authentic because there is no imagination in theatre. (if your the audience I guess) anymore haven't you been reading the thread?  It's freaking mission critical about this in here.  ;D Your choice is also of Chinese descent so shame shame.

I think the funny thing is that Zhang Ziyi is the most experienced possibility, and she has the part, but many want to use a model with no experiance, or one role  in low budget movie, or a commercial because they are one half Japanese like Ana when the cream of the crop of all Asian cinema is sitting on their lap.

[jsniderfamily]

Good point.

[Achilles]

Not to burst anyone's bubble but Zhang Ziyi has not been cast as Shi. There are no official pronouncements anywhere stating that she is starring in Shi. I am sure the producers would give her the first shot or make an offer because she is a talented actress, very beautiful, and has a big following, but for now I am confident that no one has been cast as of yet. I am a huge Ziyi fan and own all of her movies that are available on DVD, but I have a feeling she will pass on Shi regardless.  That is why I am throwing other names into the hat. That doesn't mean they will be cast either, but it is fun to search them out.  Remember a few years back that Tia Carrerre on  a talk show said she was going to star in Shi. Did it happen? No, it did not. So the opening is still there until there is a very official announcement. I think Chinese actresses are the best so I don't know where you come from when you insist I am resistant to the idea. Most of my suggestions are Chinese or Chinese mix.

[Nishiko]

Remember a few years back that Tia Carrerre on  a talk show said she was going to star in Shi. Did it happen? No, it did not.

Not for the reason you're implying, however, and she certainly wouldn't have announced the role in public and on national television if it hadn't already been set. What really happened is that Tia's then-husband was managing her contracts at the time, including her Shi role, and when the relationship went sour he cancelled all of them out of spite.