Antoine Fuqua (awesome name) has an odd filmography; one that includes everything from the amazing Training Day to the “meh” Tears of the Sun to the “huh?” King Arthur to the “wait, are you serious” Shooter to the “very meh” Brooklyn’s Finest. Now he can add an untitled $30 million Chinese epic to his CV.
Sure, why not.
Even though he’s scheduled to film a Tupac Shakur biopic this summer, Fuqua has attached himself to an adaptation of the Chinese epic involving a Tang dynasty emperor and one of the country’s four legendary beauties. Because the American education system does such a splendid job of teaching all of us about ancient history around the world, I don’t need to remind you that this is a “tragic love story between imperial consort Yang Guifei, one of the four famed beauties of ancient China, and 8th century Emperor Xuanzong, the longest reigning monarch of the Tang Dynasty, who ascended to the throne at the summit of the dynasty’s power and influence. Their love affair has been widely celebrated by classical poets and is the subject of paintings, Chinese operas, books and television shows in the subsequent millennium.” I mean, duh.
The folks behind the movie are hoping to tap into China’s very lucrative market, but it’s a tight race. China only allows a very limited amount of foreign films in each year, so the more relevant it is to China, the more likely it is to screen. This all sounds dirty to me, but I like it.
Also, fun story. Originally IndieWire had misread their source (The Hollywood Reporter) and said this would be a $200 million epic. Instead, we found out (through basic reading comprehension and research) that it’s a $200 million YUAN epic, which is about $30 million American; that makes a significant difference. Then I found twenty bucks. Great story.
Source: IndieWire
