SUMMARY INFORMATION
CANNES – 20 May 2010 – Fans
of Asia-influenced sci-fi action films will be delighted to hear the key cast
line-up of China's first ever international 3D sci-fi epic co-production, as announced
by its producers today. Hollywood action star RAY PARK (“G.I. Joe”, “Heroes”, “X-Men”) and Japanese actress/model ERIKO
SATO 佐藤 江梨子 (“Cutie
Honey”, “Funuke domo, kanashimi no ai wo misero”) will be joining China
starlet LISA CHENG LAI SHOU 鄭麗莎 in the three leading roles
of the new 3D FUTURE FIGHTERS movie (www.FutureFightersMovie.com)
which is currently in development and is being billed as “a relationship-charged, action-packed, mecha fest”. They join a
cast list including fighting legends China kungfu actor GORDON LIU 劉家輝 (“True
Legend”, “Kill Bill 1&2”) and, also announced today, Japan martial arts
actor YASUAKI “DAVID” KURATA 倉田保昭 (“Blood: The Last Vampire”, “Shinjuku Incident”).
CONTACT DETAILS
RAY PARK’s California-based
talent agency Global Artists Agency (www.globalartistsagency.net)
can be reached at [email protected]
or +1-323-836-0320. ERIKO SATO is represented by her Tokyo-based management
company Yellow Cab (www.yellow-cab.co.jp),
which can be reached at +81-3-5410-8088 or via fax at +81-3-5410-8089. LISA
CHENG and co-producer GUY ORLEBAR can be contacted through Hong Kong-based
production company Agog Films Productions (www.agogfilms.com),
at [email protected] or
+852-9418-6674. YASUAKI KURATA can be reached at his Tokyo-based stunt agency Kurata
Promotion Company (www.kurata-pro.com)
on [email protected] or
+81-3-3413-3462. GORDON LIU and co-producer RICKY “KK” WONG 王家駒 can be contacted through Hong Kong-based
production company Cine-Century Entertainment Ltd (www.cinecentury.com.hk) at [email protected]
or +852-2345-2983. Fellow co-producers MIKE LEEDER and BILLIE CHAN 陳玉冰 can be reached in Hong Kong through the production
company Screen Ops (www.ScreenOps.com),
at [email protected] or (+852)
2104 2600, and the production/promotion/management company Adspeak Ltd (www.adspeak.biz) at [email protected] or +852-2311-8123 respectively.
DETAILED INFORMATION
As a self-described Jackie
Chan and Jet Li fan whose movies inspired him to become an actor initially, Future
Fighters offers the man behind the masks of such iconic characters as Darth
Maul in “Star Wars: Episode I” and Snake
Eyes in last year’s “G.I. Joe”, RAY PARK,
the opportunity to return to his Asian martial arts roots to act and perform
under the fight choreography instructions of Jet Li favorite, action director DEE
DEE KU 谷軒昭 (“Matrix 2&3”, “Kill Bill 1&2”, “The Mummy 3”, “Forbidden
Kingdom”, “Kungfu Hustle”, “Fearless”, “Warlords”). A popular award-winning
actress and model within Japan, Future Fighters provides Eriko Sato with further international
exposure following her praised performance by the international anime community as the titular lead
action heroine in Hideaki Anno’s 2004 live-action adaption “Cutie Honey”. Twenty-four year-old actress/model/athlete Lisa Cheng (also known as LISA SA) has
already achieved major championship successes in competitive climbing,
bodybuilding and gymnastics at both national and international levels, and is now
launching her film career with a number of projects in China, and, through
Future Fighters, the world. Yasuaki
Kurata, longtime proponent for Asian action films who is widely known
for his sparring with Jet Li in “Fist of
Legend”, and who most recently appeared in the live-action adaptation of
the anime “Blood: The Last Vampire” and
Jackie Chan’s “Shinjuku Incident”, looks to Future Fighters to further promote
Japanese and Asian cinema and themes to the Western audience.
Co-producer Billie Chan describes their choice of
cast: “Heralding originally from his legendary
stunt team, Dee Dee [Ku] is widely considered within the industry as Yuen Wo
Ping’s protégé. With someone of that top caliber and Hollywood experience as our
Action Director, we absolutely need actors who can really step up and deliver
not just emotional but also the most physical performances of their careers. So
we’ve been tremendously lucky to receive the support of these talented and,
within their respective markets, high-profile individuals.” Fellow
co-producer and casting director, Mike
Leeder (“Fearless”, “The Mummy 3”, “Rush Hour 3”) elucidates further: “Last September we announced Lisa [Cheng]’s
involvement as a supporting actress, but once immensely-talented Ray [Park] with
his reputation for taking his characters to their physical limit came on board,
we couldn’t think of any other actress who could better play his character’s female
equal in this movie.” Fellow co-producer
and co-writer Guy Orlebar
concludes: “On the Japan side, both
Eriko-san and [her management company] Yellow Cab have been extremely
supportive of this project ever since we first reached out to them in Tokyo
last Fall… as has Kurata-sensei who we approached in the Spring… so I’m very
proud to welcome these two versatile actors officially… in roles which will be
anything but conventional.“
And who will be the
director? “I can’t really give too much
away at present, since talks are still ongoing, but we’re expecting to announce
our director in time for July’s San Diego Comic-Con. I think giant robot fans
are going to be amazed and ecstatic at who we have in mind– it’s someone whose
next theatrical release the West has waited quite considerably and patiently for,
and, I believe, who can help us make up for certain of Hollywood’s recent unpopular
giant robot indiscretions.” hints Guy
Orlebar cryptically.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Future Fighters is a new live-action
3D science fiction movie to “put the
science back into science fiction” and featuring a band of freedom fighters
and their mechanized warriors in the 22nd Century defending the solar system
from an encroaching enemy. Co-written by STEVE TYMON (“Backflash”, “Bloodsport II”) and co-producer Guy Orlebar, and co-starring
REUBEN LANGDON (“Avatar”, “Spiderman 2”, “Pirates
Of The Caribbean 3”) and KAZUYA SHIMIZU 清水一哉
(“Azumi”, “Big Man Japan”, “Returner”),
Future Fighters also features the talents of production designer GUIDO GUIDI (“Transformers”, “X-Men”, “Fantastic Four”
comics), 3D cinematographer HENRY CHUNG (“Peony
Pavilion”, “My Fair Gentleman”), orchestral movie composer, scorer and
conductor ROBERT ELLIS-GEIGER (“Election
2”, “After This Our Exile”), sound designer MARTIN CHAPPELL (“Accident”, “Sparrow”, “Turn Left Turn
Right”), and New York Times best-seller novelist ALAN DEAN FOSTER (“Alien” trilogy, “Star Trek”, “Star Wars”, “Terminator
Salvation”, “Transformers”), with LA/Tokyo-based Just Cause Productions Inc
(www.for-the-cause.com) providing pre-production and motion capture services, Toronto-based
Stereo 3D Unlimited (www.stereo3dunlimited.com) providing 3D stereoscopic
production services, and Beijing-based Crystal CG (www.crystalCG.com) providing
high-end CG modeling.
Co-producer Mike Leeder is also heading up the newly
created Stealth Asia, a sub-label for UK's Stealth Media Group (www.stealthmediagroup.com), which was
announced at Cannes on Monday, and fellow co-producer ex-Lehman Brothers banker
Guy Orlebar’s feature film debut “Lost In Love” (www.lostinlovemovie.com) is currently being represented by
California-based sales agent LONG TALE (www.longtale.com)
at this year’s Cannes film market. Co-producer Billie Chan has marketed numerous films from high-profile
directors including John Woo, Tsui Hark and Fruit Chan at all major
international film festivals, including Wong Ka Wai's Cannes-winning “Happy Together” and this year's Berlin
festival winner “Echoes of the Rainbow”.
Mike Leeder and Guy Orlebar, with fellow co-producer
RICKY WONG, are also behind the new Triumphant Film Funds investment vehicle (www.TriumphantFilmFunds.com) which was
set up in March 2010 to allow investors to tap into the burgeoning global
theatrical and blu-ray film markets, with its two Series 10 funds currently open
for subscription until the end of June.
***
Founded in 2007, Agog Films
Productions is one of Hong Kong's newest and most dynamic film production
houses, specializing in quality independent movie-making with the freshest
global talents, as well as in related comic and video-game development.
Be amazed. Be agog. Agog
Films.
