Ang Lee

Started by MacGuffin, May 23, 2006, 02:26:37 PM

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MacGuffin

Lee's future will include 'Lust,' WWII
Source: Hollywood Reporter

CANNES -- Oscar winner Ang Lee is reuniting with longtime collaborator James Schamus and Focus Features to direct his follow-up to "Brokeback Mountain," the espionage thriller "Lust, Caution." Set in World War II-era Shanghai, the Chinese-language film is expected to begin production this fall. The film will be exec produced by Focus CEO Schamus. The screenplay will be adapted from Eileen Chang's short story by Lee's "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" screenwriter Wang Hui-Ling. Bill Koning, who produced "Crouching Tiger" is reteaming with Lee to produce, and Schamus will serve as exec producer. "Ang is going to be making a very exciting film that's unlike anything he's done before," said Schamus, who's collaborated with Lee on nine features." 'Lust, Caution' is a uniquely Asian story which, in Ang's hands, will surprise and attract audiences around the world." Focus has worldwide rights to the film, excluding Asia. Focus Features International is handling overseas sales and distribution.
"Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art." - Andy Warhol


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MacGuffin

Lee Eyes Tony Leung Chiu-Wai for Movie

Oscar winner Ang Lee has approached Hong Kong's Tony Leung Chiu-wai about appearing in his upcoming spy thriller, "Lust, Caution," Lee's assistant said Sunday.

"It hasn't been confirmed yet. We have approached him, but we won't finalize all the characters until we choose a female lead," the director's assistant, David Lee, told The Associated Press in a phone interview.

"We haven't decided on a female lead," David Lee said.

"Lust, Caution," based on a novel by Eileen Chang, marks Ang Lee's return to Chinese-language film after several English-language productions including "The Hulk" and most recently, the gay romance "Brokeback Mountain," for which he won best director Oscar this year.

Observers are closely watching Ang Lee's casting choices to see if he will produce another female star. Lee's box office hit "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," helped propel Zhang Ziyi to stardom. Zhang went on to star in Hollywood movies like "Rush Hour 2" and "Memoirs of a Geisha."

Lee has reportedly said he wants to cast a Taiwanese actress to boost the island's struggling film industry.

David Lee said filming for "Lust, Caution" will begin in the fall in Shanghai and Hong Kong.

Tony Leung Chui-wai won best actor at Cannes in 2000 for his role in Wong Kar-wai's romance "In the Mood for Love." Leung also appeared in Wong's gay love story "Happy Together" and the crime thriller "Infernal Affairs," which has been remade by Martin Scorsese as "The Departed."
"Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art." - Andy Warhol


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Pwaybloe

No "Hulk 2," huh?  Son of a BITCH!

pete

Eileen Chang has always been like a prose writer.  I was never aware that she wrote espinoge thrillers!
yeah, get someone from Taiwan.  I'll be there in a few days.  maybe I should put on a wig.
"Tragedy is a close-up; comedy, a long shot."
- Buster Keaton

MacGuffin

Ang Lee finds stars for World War II thriller
Source: Hollywood Reporter

Director Ang Lee has found the two stars for his follow-up to "Brokeback Mountain."

Tony Leung and film newcomer Tang Wei have landed lead roles in the World War II espionage thriller "Lust, Caution," which is set up at Focus Features.

Leung stars as a powerful Shanghai politician who becomes entangled with a young woman (Tang). Chinese pop idol and actor Wang Lee Hom also has been cast, as a student involved with the woman. In the short story written by the late Chinese author Eileen Chang, a main character tries to seduce and assassinate a Chinese spy working for the Japanese government.

Leung has gained international stardom in such films as Wong Kar-wai's "In the Mood for Love" and Zhang Yimou's "Hero." Wei has appeared in stage and screen performances.

"It's exciting for me to be making a movie in China again and to finally be working with Tony Leung on a project," Lee said. "Tang Wei has already shown such versatility in her early work."
"Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art." - Andy Warhol


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pete

wong lee hom?  he's big over here in Taiwan, and he's from Boston!  represent.
it took me like three years after everybody to come up with the Ang Lee/ Hulk joke to come up with it on my own: "don't make me anglee, you wouldn't like me when I'm anglee".  I was pretty proud of this one until all the people I've told it to have heard it or made it already.
"Tragedy is a close-up; comedy, a long shot."
- Buster Keaton

hedwig

Quote from: pete on July 18, 2006, 09:15:35 AM
wong lee hom?  he's big over here in Taiwan, and he's from Boston!  represent.
it took me like three years after everybody to come up with the Ang Lee/ Hulk joke to come up with it on my own: "don't make me anglee, you wouldn't like me when I'm anglee".  I was pretty proud of this one until all the people I've told it to have heard it or made it already.
dude, i can't believe it took you that long, that was comPETE-LEE obvious.

Gold Trumpet

Ang Lee is growing on me all the time. I use to compare him to Steven Soderbergh with the way both filmmakers marry many styles and genres to their own identity, but Ang Lee is winning the creativity war. The unifying element in all of Soderbergh's work is his preference for hand held camera work. The unifying element for Ang Lee is his quiet patience that gets the best out of every story. I believe Soderbergh is at the mercy of the source or genre he is experimenting with. He added very little to Solaris beyond what we already could have expected. His refusal to do so was probably his respect for the original film but it also meant a discredit to his own film. Soberbergh finds complacency and acceptability in every genre and thus aligns his filmmaking to pay respect to every genre he touches. Then the fact that the unifying element in all his films is a technical device makes it even more clear. His filmmmaking is the work of an impresario. Ang Lee's interest in story and quiet refusal to pay respects to every genre he touches is the work of an artist.

pete

I think it's even simpler than that.  Ang Lee is just not very sophisticated.  he's a very traditional guy, as you must have come to realize, all of his films deal with one's duty to his family and society vs. one's own will...etc. etc.  He's not going to do crazy film developing processes or use filmic language too innovative, because he's not savvy like that.  That simplicity has served Lee well, as he abandons pizzazz for why he thinks people go to see movies in the first place, to be moved and to resonate.  He's a very traditional director in that sense.  His pairing with James Schamus is just brilliant, since Schamus will bring Lee all sorts of real savvy and crazy materials for Lee to chew through and digest.  Then they come up with a script together, with Schamus taking care of the savvy stuff, making sure that Lee doesn't get too cornball or too traditional.
"Tragedy is a close-up; comedy, a long shot."
- Buster Keaton

MacGuffin

Focus' Schamus brings back 'Game'
Lee attached to direct project
Source: Variety

Focus Features co-chair James Schamus has revived "A Little Game" -- months after the project imploded -- and brought in frequent collaborator Ang Lee to direct.

Project is expected to be Lee's next project after "Lust, Caution," his World War II-era pic set in Shanghai. "Game" will mark his third straight pic for Focus after "Brokeback Mountain" and "Lust, Caution."

Schamus is rewriting the romantic comedy, an adaptation of a French play called "A Little Game of Consequence." It centers on a happily engaged Brooklyn couple who decide to play an experiment on their friends; when a rumor goes around that they have broken up, they play along to find out what their pals really think of their coupling.

WAM Films is producing the pic, with Alain Chabot and Stephanie Danan as producers and Bruno Pesery as exec producer. Jean Dell and Gerald Sibleyras penned the French play.

Jim Carrey and Cameron Diaz had been set to play the leads, but they abruptly exited the project weeks before it was set to begin lensing in early October amid concerns about the quality of the script.

Focus dismissed helmer Gabriele Muccino ("The Pursuit of Happyness"), but Schamus remained committed to getting the project off the ground.

Project reps the 11th collaboration between Lee and Schamus. Besides "Brokeback" and "Lust, Caution," they worked on "The Ice Storm," "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and "Hulk."
"Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art." - Andy Warhol


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pete

Quote"Game" will mark his third straight pic for Focus after "Brokeback Mountain" and "Lust, Caution."

?
"Tragedy is a close-up; comedy, a long shot."
- Buster Keaton

picolas

i may get to ask ang lee 1 question in a week. if you guys can think of a better one than me i may ask it.

picolas

Xaxclusive

he seemed to have no doubt his next film would be "A Little Game" though he only referred to it as a "60s comedy", and he has a vague idea of maybe shooting digitally so he can cover the action from multiple angles even though he once had a fantasy about being "the last man standing" in the film vs. digital war.

MacGuffin

Ang Lee, Focus trek to 'Woodstock'
Source: Hollywood Reporter

NEW YORK -- Ang Lee is again teaming with Focus Features CEO James Schamus to direct the gay-themed Woodstock memoir "Taking Woodstock."

Focus will produce and Schamus will adapt Elliot Tiber's 2007 book, "Taking Woodstock: A True Story of a Riot, a Concert, and a Life." It centers on the colorful life of a Greenwich Village-based interior designer and part-time Catskills hotel manager who headed the Bethel, N.Y., Chamber of Commerce. He issued the permit for the legendary 1969 concert on his neighbor Max Yasgur's farm.

Lee and Schamus' most recent collaboration was Focus' Chinese-language drama "Lust, Caution," which earned $66 million worldwide. The writing-directing pair had their breakthrough indie hit with the gay-themed comedy "The Wedding Banquet" in 1993, and Lee directed Focus' biggest hit, the gay Western "Brokeback Mountain," in 2005.

There have been several Woodstock docus but few narrative films touching on the music festival, one of the few being Tony Goldwyn's "A Walk on the Moon."

Tiber wrote his Square One Publishers memoir with Tom Monte.
"Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art." - Andy Warhol


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MacGuffin

Demetri Martin heads to 'Woodstock'
Comedian takes lead role in Ang Lee film
Source: Variety

Comedian Demetri Martin is in negotiations for the starring role in Ang Lee's next project, "Taking Woodstock," for Focus Features.

Martin is best known for his "Trendspotting" segment on "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart."

Film is based on Elliot Tiber's memoir, which is being adapted by Focus topper James Schamus. Tiber wrote the book -- which was published last year -- with Tom Monte.

Martin will star as Tiber, an in-the-closet gay man working at his parents' motel in the Catskills, who inadvertently sets in motion the generation-defining concert in the summer of 1969. Focus is eyeing a late August start date.

Martin's upcoming films include Fox Atomic's "The Rocker" and Universal's "Kids in America." He also wrote and is attached to star in DreamWorks' "Will," which Jon Stewart is exec producing.
"Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art." - Andy Warhol


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