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Synopsis: 
[Short Version]
        A female assassin falls in love with a man whose father was killed by her gang. Unaware that he also is a trained martial artist, their love blossoms but then tensions arise as the past comes back to haunt them.

[Long Version] (SPOILER WARNING)
        In 428AD, Bodhi, Prince of Southern India becomes a Buddhist monk and sets off for China earning a hallowed reputation as a mystical martial artist. Following his death, his remains mysteriously disappear. Hundreds of years later, Zhang, a high-ranking court official, is assassinated by Drizzle. His son Jingxiu, whilst mourning his father's death, is attacked by a group of assassins. They leave him for dead, but somehow he survives and escapes their clutches.
        Drizzle, a talented warrior herself, finds herself in possession of Bodhi's remains, and begins her quest to return them to their rightful resting place at the Yunhe Temple. 'The Black Stone,' a team of deadly assassins who employed Drizzle, are also after the remains and the powerful secret behind them. To hide from 'The Black Stone,' Drizzle undergoes drastic facial surgery and changing her name to Zeng Jing (Michelle Yeoh), flees to Beijing, where she meets and falls in love with Jiang, soon to become her husband. After a confrontation in Beijing, Zeng's identity is uncovered and both she and Jiang must flee for their lives. As Zeng kills off members of the gang while they run, she quickly realizes Jiang is actually Jingxiu, and he is seeking revenge for his father's murder. This leads to a lethal triangle and a fight to the death between our hero Zeng, Jiang and 'The Black Stone.' The only question remains who will be the last man standing to uncover the secret of Bodhi's remains...

Reign of Assassins News: 
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(03/18/10) - The production of Reign of Assassins will be moving to Taiwan later in the month. Principal photography was completed in Mainland China at the end of last month. Taiwan filming will finish a couple of remaining key scenes. Most of the post-production will be done in Taiwan.

In earlier interviews, reporters asked Michelle whether she will have longer fight sequences in Reign of Assassins like she had with Zhang Ziyi's character in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Michelle said yes and she revealed that the most intensive fight sequence will happen between her and Wang Xueqi, who plays the leader of "The Black Stone" gang. Last week she also mentioned to Malaysian media that there will be a sequence in which she "flies" on the rooftops. "I think I did well in that scene," said Michelle.

Production started in Shanghai in early November of 2009 before moving to the Hengdian World Studios in the second month. Bad weather with heavy rains made the production go over-schedule and a huge outdoor temple set had to be moved indoors to avoid further weather delays.

Producer Terence Chang said that John Woo was on set most of the time and spent "more than a week directing a fight scene which featured his daughter Angeles as a ruthless assassin."

The key crew members also include Horace Wong (A Better Tomorrow, Hard-Boiled, The Myth) as cinematographer, Japanese Oscar-winner Emi Wada (Revolt, Hero, The Soong Sisters) as costume designer, Stephen Tung (Bodyguards & Assassins, Warriors of Heaven and Earth) as action choreographer, Cheung Ka-fai (Shinjuku Incident, Silk, Police Story III: Supercop) as editor and Peter Kam (Isabella, Silk, Silver Hawk) as music composer. Production and finance come from China's Galloping Horse, Hong Kong's Media Asia and Taiwanese companies Gamania Digital Entertainment and Lumiere Motion Picture Corporation. It is one of the most anticipated Chinese language films of the year.

Media Asia and Fortissimo Films have sold the distribution rights for the film to Clover Films (Singapore and Malaysia), Teguh Bakti Mandiri PT (Indonesia), Sahamongkol Film (Thailand), Galaxy Studio JSC (Vietnam), Boogui Cinema (South Korea), Film Depot (Russia, the CIS region, and the Baltics), Falcon Films (Middle East), Lusomundo Film & TV (Portugal), Vision Film (Poland), United King Films (Israel), and Lions Gate Pictures (UK).

- Some art work of early set design (click to enlarge):


(03/10/10) Gamania Taiwan, a major PC online game and digital entertainment corporation in Taipei, Taiwan, announced today that they are developing an online game "Jianyu Jianghu". The beginning part of the Wuxia style game will be a continuation of the film story. "Jianyu Jianghu" online game is scheduled to be released in October at the same time as the film release, said the company. Gamania is one of the investment companies for the film.

(03/09/10) - "Hong Kong Film" January issue has a special on Reign of Assassins with interviews of Michelle, John Woo, and Su Chao-pin. (thanks Crystal for the scans)
Read (in Chinese)   page 1 page 2 page 3 page 4

- Film stills and set photos from "Hong Kong Film" magazine and Taiwanese madia. (click to enlarge)


(02/26/10) The production of Reign of Assassins has wrapped up Hengdian filming and it will be moving to Taipei, Taiwan.

Reportedly the production is one month behind the original plan, even though two teams have been shooting at the same time. The crew took only three days break for the Chinese New Year. Taiwanese actor Chang Chen (Michelle's co-star in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) may have to drop out of the project due to schedule conflict. Taiwanese actor Ethan Ruan may replace Chang to play a famous doctor.

Taipei Postproduction is handling the film processing, printing and digital intermediates.

Some set photos from Hengdian filming (click to enlarge. "Tom" and "Sina" photos):


(02/23/10) Filming at the Hengdian World Studios resumed last week and Michelle is currently in Hengdian.

(02/16/10) - From Twitch: "EFM 2010: First glimpse of John Woo's Jianyu Jianghu"

"Now going by the English title of Reign of Assassins, the first promo reel for the John Woo / Su Chao-Bin co-directed feature is available for buyers at the EFM.

The footage included is still quite rough, looking to be completely raw and fresh out of the camera, but still shows plenty of the good stuff. Before making his name as a heroic bloodshed director focused on massive amounts of gunplay, Woo directed films of all genres including classic wuxia films and this is very much a return to that. Michelle Yeoh stars as a woman defecting from a clan of assassins who are less than pleased to see her go. Lot's of old school martial arts action ensues and while the tone of the film seems to be generally quite straight faced there are definite nods to the goofier sides of wuxia as well, including one warrior who fights with a flaming sword clenched in each hand.

Very raw still but quite promising."

- According to "Variety" and "Screen Daily", the distribution rights for Reign of Assassins has been sold to U.K. (Lionsgate), Russia and the Baltic (Film Depot/Volga Films), and Israel (United King) during the EFM (European Film Market). It was also sold to Korea (Younghwa), Portugal (Film & TV House), and Poland (Vision) ahead of EFM. Media Asia is handling the sales in Asia while Fortissimo Films is handling the rest of the world.

(02/09/10) - The film crew will take a break for the Chinese New Year and the filming will start again in Hengdian after.

- More set photos from Reign of Assassins (Jianyu Jianghu) filming sets:


(02/05/10) Chinese TV actor Calvin Li (Li Zonghan), who is famous for portraying "elegant gentlemen" on screen, plays Monk Lu Zhu in Reign of Assassins (Jianyu Jianghu). Li uses a pair of iron chopsticks as weapon. Talking about his role, Li said: "Everyone else in the film is either killing or being killed by others. My character is different. I... killed myself." Li's role is crucial for the development of Xi Yu's character (Michelle).


Film stills: postman Jung Woo-sung delivering mail.   (click to enlarge)


(02/02/10) The English title of Jianyu Jianghu is Reign of Assassins.

Fortissimo Films will be presenting the film with the first footage at the upcoming Berlin/European Film Market during the Berlin International Film Festival.


(02/01/10) Photos from Hengdian film set: director Su Chao-pin's birthday party, Jan. 28.   (click to enlarge. "QQ" photos)


Director Su Chao-pin explained the meaning of the Chinese title of the film, Jianyu Jianghu. He said the name of Jung Woo-sung's character contains "Jian (sword)" and the name of Michelle's character contains "Yu (rain)". "Jianyu" (Sword and Rain) is a symbol of the love between the two main characters. "Jianghu" means the martial arts world.

(01/29/10) - Newly released HQ film stills of Jianyu Jianghu:


- A media set visit was arranged in Hengdian on January 28th.

Reporters asked Michelle if she is worried of getting injured while filming a martial arts film again after Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, during which one of her legs was badly injured. Michelle said: "I was injured in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon when filming the first action sequence and I had to go through surgery. This time when I entered the Jianyu Jianghu set, oh my God, it looked very similar to the set of Crouching Tiger. Memories came back to me right away. We were also filming during a very cold weather. I was thinking, please, do not let anything happen."

Asked if she taught something to the younger actresses such as Kelly Lin and Barbie Hsu, Michelle said she goes to the shooting set to see their filming. She said they are all experienced actresses but it is their first time to be in a martial arts film. "I told them my experiences on how to prevent injuries, where it is easier to get injured, and what to do when they are on wires for the first time and panic."

Since the shooting schedule is tight, John Woo sometimes "guest directed" some scenes, according to the media reports.

Taiwanese director Leon Dai, who is a friend of director Su Chao-pin, guest stars in the film as a handicapped, old killer.

(01/26/10) - 76 year old Chinese actor You Benchang, who became famous for portraying Monk Ji Gong in the Chinese TV series "Ji Gong" 20 years ago, will be seen in Jianyu Jianghu. Reportedly he will play Michelle's master.

- Kelly Lin and Shawn Yu returned to Hengdian filming this week. Filming in Hengdian has been going on day and night. Still, they may not be able to finish before the Chinese New Year as originally planned. Many crew members are concerned as to whether they would be able to go home during the new year holiday. The Tiger Year will start on February 14 this year.

(01/15/10) Jianyu Jianghu filming has been continuing in Hengdian, Zhejiang Province.

Actress Jiang Yiyan has finished her part. She plays a swordwoman who dresses as male. Kelly Lin joined the filming for a week and will return to the set later this month. Producer/director John Woo, his wife, and their daughter were all in Hengdian.

Chinese actor Guo Xiaodong (who co-stars with Michelle in the upcoming True Legend) will join the production soon. Reportedly Guo plays a mysterious role which is very important to the storyline. He will share some scenes with both Kelly Lin and Michelle.


(01/06/10) Taiwanese actress Kelly Lin and John Woo's daughter, Angeles Woo, have joined the Hengdian filming. Angeles Woo plays a cameo role and she will have a couple of scenes in the film. Kelly Lin plays a relatively small yet very important role - (spoiler warning - highlight the text in the brackets if you would like to read) [she plays Xi Yu (Drizzle) before the facial surgery. That is, she and Michelle in fact play the same character. ]

Some images from Hengdian:


It snowed in Hengdian and some filming for Jianyu Jianghu had to be postponed. The bad weather and cold temperatures caused a lot of trouble for film and TV crews (more than a dozen) in Hengdian. According to news reports, one film crew had all of the crew members fall sick. Another film crew was shooting a summer scene but water vapor came out from actors' breaths when they spoke, so they had to suck on ice cubes before filming the scene...

There was also an unexpected problem for some Hong Kong and Taiwan actors on the Jianyu Jianghu set that Twitter and Facebook, which they use frequently, are blocked in China. (The communist regime also blocked YouTube, along with many other overseas websites/blogs.)

(12/30/09) - Jianyu Jianghu has been filming in Hengdian. It was very cold there. Reportedly the temperature was as low as minus ten degrees Celsius.

- Actor Wang Xueqi talked about the film during a recent interview. He said he plays a skilled martial artist, and both Michelle and Barbie Hsu are his disciples. His character does not have major screen time but it is a very interesting role. Wang recounted that during the first few days of his filming he had fight scenes with Michelle. He was very nervous and Michelle kept encouraging him. He said Michelle has excellent action skills. As for himself, Wang said the action director knows he is not an expert so the moves were designed for his level. He tries to do as much as he can, and when he can't, stunt doubles are used. According to Wang, some actors have not yet started their parts, including John Woo's daughter.

(12/09/09) Production of Jianyu Jianghu moved to the Hengdian World Studios in Zhejiang Province at the end of October. Hengdian filming takes place in the studios and the surrounding scenic areas including Fangyan.

Some images from last month's shooting in Shanghai:


"China Movie Report" published a set interview video with Hong Kong actor and singer Shawn Yu in Shanghai. Yu plays a killer in the film. He said it is the first costume film for him. He will be a hidden weapons expert and he will have a lot of fighting scenes with Michelle.

Video: Set inteview with Shawn Yu   (01:34, in Mandarin)

(11/29/09) Filming in Shaghai is wrapping up. Before the production moves to Hengdian, a media set visit was arranged in Shanghai. and the reporters interviewed some cast/crew members. Several stills and some set photos were released.

Stills and set photos from Shanghai:


Videos:
    Interview with Michelle   (11:36, in Mandarin)
    Interview with producer John Woo   (14:46, in Mandarin)
    Interview with costume designer Emi Wada   (06:55, in Japanese with Chinese translation)

Producer/director John Woo said after Red Cliff he was planning to film 1949, a Chinese-language war epic/romance set against the back-drop of the final years of China's civil war. Director Su Chao-pin was brought to the script team. After a long period of preparation the project did not work out. (for related earlier reports, see News of Dec 22, 2008, Feb 2, 2009, Mar 3, Mar 24, and Mar 29). When he was picking his next project, Su showed him and Terence Chang a Wuxia story he had written. They loved the script and decided to make the film.

"I thought immediately that the lead character belongs to Michelle. And she liked the character very much after she read the script," said Woo. "Not seeing Michelle fighting on big screen is a waste," Woo added, "She is not only an action actress, but also an excellent actress."

Talking about making a Wuxia film again, Michelle said she is nervous and also looking forward to it. She said she liked the script very much, "especially the complexity and subtlety of the characters. There is no simple good guy or bad guy." She revealed her character was a killer at the beginning and there is a turn in the story - someone changed her life by sacrifying himself. "Not by Jung Woo-sung's character. And I won't tell you now who he is," smiled Michelle. Asked about working with a director who had not filmed a Wuxia or costume film before, Michelle said Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was Ang Lee's first Wuxia/costume film too when they were working together. She will have more action than she did in Crouching Tiger and it is more physically challenging.

South Korean actor Jung Woo-sung said the first day of his filming with Michelle left him a deep impression. "She looked so pure. Our characters fell in love with each other naturally." Jung also said rain is a factor that made the two characters get together. He said he and Michelle often discussed their roles. Asked if Michelle taught him any sword moves, Jung smiled: "We talk about emotions, not fighting."

Oscar winning Japanese costume designer Emi Wada said she spent more than two months for the preparation and she looked at references from the Ming Dynasty. Since most of the characters in the film are ordinary people, so their costumes were intentionally not ironed. Wada said she tries to reflect in her design ordinary people's life from that period. In the film, Jung Woo-sung is a postman and Michelle sells fabric.

(11/28/09) Production of Jianyu Jianghu has been going on in the Shanghai Shengqiang Film Studio since the beginning of the month. Michelle, Jung Woo-sung, Barbie Hsu, Shawn Yu, Leon Dai, Jiang Yiyan, You Liping and Wang Xueqi have been seen on the Shanghai set.

Taiwanese actress and TV host Barbie Hsu, who is the second female lead in the film, spoke to the media during a public event last week and said she has been training hard on her wrists, arms, and balance. She told reporters that she will share battle scenes with Michelle and she is very worried. She is afraid that she might injure Michelle if she makes mistakes, or if she does not do well and has to repeat certain moves many times then Michelle would have to repeat the shots with her. Hsu said she has not really started action scenes yet. She filmed one court scene earlier for which she had to kneel down the whole night, and it bruised her knees.

When Taiwan's Golden Horse Awards announced (on 28th) Mainland Chinese actor Wang Xueqi won the best supporting actor for his role in Forever Enthralled, he was filming a scene with Barbie Hsu. He told reporters afterwards he was so excited that he kept forgetting his lines in the scene which he was supposed to lecture Hsu. Reportedly the two shares a lot of dramatic scenes.

Hong Kong actress Pau Hee-Ching talked about her role in a media interview. She said in the film both Michelle and Jung Woo-sung came to her town and there will be a love story between the two. She tries to be the matchmaker and some scenes are very comedic.

Photos from Shanghai:

(11/27/09) Jianyu Jianghu teaser poster.

(11/16/09) - Filming of Jianyu Jianghu started on November 4th in the Shanghai Shengqiang Film Studio. On the first day the crew team was on set at 2:00AM. The second day, 4:00AM and the third day, 3:30AM. Producer/director John Woo was on set watching the monitor.

Some sneak photos from the Shanghai filming set. The buildings shown on the set include Yue Yang Lou Inn, Tong Bao Bank, Fu Yuan Ju Restaurant, etc..


- "Shanghai Daily" quoted John Woo talking about the script: "When I read it three yeas ago, I was very excited. It's one of the best scripts I have ever seen. We decided to film it." Michelle, who plays a retired female assassin in the film, said: "Traditional martial arts films used to simply assign good guy-bad guy labels to the characters,... But in this film, we see complex personalities. The past really haunts the present. Everyone is trying to discover his true self and find balance in life again."

(11/03/09) A press conference and the opening lens ceremony for Jianyu Jianghu were held in the Shanghai Shengqiang Film Studio on November 3rd. Producer John Woo, director Su Chao-pin, and cast members Michelle, Jung Woo-sung, Barbie Hsu, Wang Xueqi, Shawn Yu, and Pau Hee-Ching attended the events, with more than 100 reporters from the Greater China region present.

News Videos (in Mandarin):
video1 (02:41)   video2 (01:17)   video3 (01:37)   video4 (04:18)

News photos from the press conference and the opening lens ceremony:


Michelle said she has waited for many years to work with John Woo. "From Hong Kong to Hollywood to Mainland China, finally I have got this opportunity," said Michelle. Jianyu Jianghu will be Michelle's first Chinese costume film since Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, which was shot exactly ten years ago.

John Woo said he always admired Michelle and wished to work with her. But they did not find a suitable project since his past films were all centered on male characters. He said Jianyu Jianghu was his favorite martial arts screenplay over the years and he had been waiting for such a chance to work with Michelle.

South Korean actor Jung Woo-sung, who will play Michelle's husband in the film, said that his role will be a lovable postman.

Hong Kong veteran, the best actress award winner at this year's Hong Kong Film Awards, Pau Hee-Ching (cinematographer Peter Pau's sister) joined the cast too. She said she will play an old lady who sells Toufu. And she will be the matchmaker for Jung Woo-sung and Michelle.

Mainland veteran actor Wang Xueqi will be the leader of a group which rivals Michelle. Barbie Hsu and Shawn Yu are both members of this group as assassins.

Cast will also include Taiwanese actor Chang Chen (who co-starred with Michelle in Crouching Tiger), Taiwanese actress Pace Wu, Chinese actress Jiang Yiyan, Taiwanese actors Leon Dai and Ethan Ruan, and Chinese actor Guo Xiaodong, in addition to the names announced before.

This is director Su Chao-pin's first martial arts film and he finds filming action scenes more difficult than he had imagined. "But we have a very capable martial arts director so I'm not worried," he added, "making a martial arts film has been my dream from childhood."

Principal photography of Jianyu Jianghu starts on November 4th at the Shanghai Shengqiang Film Studio. It is scheduled to move to Hengdian, Zhejiang Province at the end of the month and then to Taipei, Taiwan at the beginning of next year. Chinese media described John Woo as "main director" and Su Chao-pin as "executive director" for the production.

(10/30/09) Synopsis has been added on this page (see above). Principal photography will begin next week at the Shanghai Shengqiang Film Studio. The stunt team has been training for a month in Shanghai.

(10/20/09) Michelle talked about her role in the new film with Singapore media today: "The key message of the story is that we're all living a second life... We're always trying to be something that we're not. The past catches up in the end and tails you no matter where you go. But it's also a story about love." Michelle confirmed that she will join the filming next week.

(10/19/09) Set construction began earlier this month at the Shanghai Shengqiang Film Studio (Shanghai Image Maker) and the Hengdian World Studios.

According to Hollywood Reporter, the romantic Kung Fu thriller will start shooting in Shanghai on October 30. Producer Terence Chang described the film as " 'Face/Off' meets 'Mr. & Mrs. Smith' set in the Ming Dynasty." A quarter of the film will be shot in Taiwan. The film is set for a 2010 late-summer release.

(10/10/09) - During a recent interview in Paris, Michelle said she will be shooting a new action film in China with John Woo along the lines of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. "I play an assassin who is trying to leave her world behind her, but finds out it's not so easy," said Michelle.

- Two weeks ago during a Taiwanese press interview, producer/director John Woo said he appreciated very much the talent of director and scriptwriter Su Chao-pin since he saw Su's Silk (2004). When producer Terence Chang showed him the script of Jianyu Jianghu, Woo liked it so much and thought the story is so brilliant that the film has to be made. "This is a highly entertaining martial arts film with a new style. I look forward very much to working with Su Chao-pin."

Director Su Chao-pin said he has enjoyed martial arts novels since childhood and he even practiced some martial arts himself. Talking about the new film, Su said: "The storyline may sound old fashioned. But I would like to discover new meaning form the old elements, and show the true spirit of Jiang Hu." The director said he had already met with Michelle and the male lead Jung Woo-sung. He described Michelle as a "sunshine girl" and said it is very pleasant to talk to her. He said Michelle gave many opinions regarding the script from the feminine point of view, and he looks forward to working with her. Asked whether there will be love scenes among the two leads, Su said: "If there is, I think I will have the lights turned off and make it implicit."

Producer Terence Chang said that South Korean actor Jung Woo-sung speaks Chinese very well and Jung asked not to be dubbed.

Production is scheduled to start in Shanghai this month and move to Hengdian later. Some filming will take place in Taiwan at the end of this year or beginning of next year. Filming is expected to last until March 2010.

(09/23/09) Michelle's next film, Jianyu Jianghu (i.e., "Jian Yu Jiang Hu", literal translation: "Rain of Swords in the Martial Arts World", a.k.a "Rain of swords in the pugilistic world", "The Sword and The Martial Arts World" and "The Swordswoman's World"), will start filming in Shanghai at the end of October.

The Chinese-language martial arts film will star Michelle and South Korean actor Jung Woo-sung (Musa) as the main leads. The story is set in the Ming dynasty (1368 - 1644). A swordswoman (Michelle) was seeking a peaceful life. She changed her look and lived quietly. But people in Jiang Hu (the martial arts world) did not spare her because she owned a treasure many martial artists wanted. Jung Woo-sung plays Michelle's husband.

Directed and written by Taiwanese director and scriptwriter Su Chao-pin (Silk) who is well known for mysteries and thrillers, the film was described by producer Terence Chang as a Gu Long (*) style martial arts suspense story with new weapons and new fighting styles. Expect themes on love, hatred, passion, and revenge, with plenty of action and a mysterious plot.   (* Gu Long, 1936-1985, was a famous Hong Kong born Taiwanese martial arts novelist. Michelle's 1993 Butterfly & Sword was a film adaptation of a Gu Long novel which was also set in the Ming dynasty.)

The rest of the cast will include Chinese actor Wang Xueqi (Forever Enthralled, Warriors of Heaven and Earth), Hong Kong actor and singer Shawn Yu (Infernal Affairs), Taiwanese actress, singer and TV host Barbie Hsu (Silk), as well as several acting clients from Michelle and Terence Chang's Stellar Entertainment including Taiwanese actress Kelly Lin and Hong Kong actor Wong Hei. Producer/director John Woo's daughter, Angeles Woo (33), will have a cameo role in the film as a female killer.

The art design team has been in Shanghai since the end of August. Set construction/modeling will begin later on location at Shanghai Shengqiang Film Studio (Shanghai Image Maker), Hengdian World Studios and the surrounding scenic areas in Zhejiang Province. Taiwanese media reported that Media Asia (Hong Kong), Sanlih (Taiwan), and Gamania Taiwan are among the investment companies for the production. Filming will take place in Mainland China and Taiwan.