Jackie Chan to star in a ghost story

APD NEWS

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Kung fu star Jackie Chan will have another potential blockbuster slated for release during next year's Spring Festival.

The film, entitled "The Knight of Shadows Between Yin and Yang," is a brand-new adaptation of classic Chinese fantasy book "Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio."

Newbie B-movie director Yan Jia will take helm of the project and its starry cast, including Chan, Ethan Ruan, Elane Zhong, Lin Bohong, Lin Peng, triplet stars Luu Brothers as well as famous comedians Qiao Shan, Pan Changjiang and King-Tan Yuen. Agan, famous for his Chinese horror movies, will produce the film.

"Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio" is written by Qing Dynasty writer Pu Songling and was published in 1740. The book is a collection of more than 490 Chinese exorcist legends and ghost stories. Several stories from the book have been made into successful movies and TV series, such as Gordon Chan's "Painted Skin" and Ching Siu-tung's "A Chinese Ghost Story."

Jackie Chan speaks at a press conference held for "The Knight of Shadows Between Yin and Yang" in Beijing, March 28, 2018.

Jackie Chan revealed at the press conference held on Monday in Beijing that he would play the novelist Pu Songlin in the new film, with the writer set to become a detective.

"I was surprised by the script at the beginning, " Chan said, "because Pu is an intellectual, and I'm a kung fu star. But after I read the story, I found it interesting. During the shooting, I tried many things I have never tried before. The action scenes are also different from those I had done before, for instance, new kung fu styles which use a writing brush as a weapon, plus exorcist arts decorated by visual effects."

The actor admitted he had great fun making the new film, "I have been in this industry for 57 years and the most pleasant thing for me is to act every day. I never thought about money and awards when I'm doing films, but what is left in my mind is only how to do it right and how to try my best. And I would love to try different styles and new characters."

A new poster is released for "The Knight of Shadows Between Yin and Yang" in Beijing, March 28, 2018.

The cast and crew of "The Knight of Shadows Between Yin and Yang" unveiled its first poster and announced the film will be released on next Chinese lunar New Year's Day, also known as Spring Festival in 2019. It is very rare for a Chinese film to set its release date so far in advance, especially after this year's record-breaking Spring Festival film season has just ended.