The Chinese Film Market Magazine - Films to Expect in 2014

Films to Expect in 2014

Feb 02, 2026 CFM Distribution, Don't Miss 0

Jiang Wen: Gone with the Bullets

According to the production company, Gone with the Bullets will be screenedby the end of 2014.

In December 2013, Gone with the Bullets disclosedits first still:Jiang Wen and Ge You tap dancing with dramatic smile; it was printed on 5 million poster cards as an invitation.

Previously, it was revealed that professional Broadway dancers were employed for group dance. Leading roles, Jiang Wen, Ge You, Zhou Yun and Shu Qi would danceas well, making the film a musical drama.

Wen Zhang, the leading actor in 2013 B.O. champion Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons,also joined the film. Ge You and Jiang Wen will be partners, and Zhou Yun, Shu Qi and Wen Zhang are pushing hands for Jiang Wen’s adventure. Producer Marco Ma said: “These characterswillpresent the ups and downs of Ma Zouri (Jiang Wen), and the adventure would be thrilling.”

Ann Hui: The Golden Era

Rising from the golden age of Hong Kong cinema, Ann Hui isnow creating a golden eraof her own by presenting her most anticipated film in 2014.

The longing for making a biopic of Xiao Hong, a legendary female writer of during the Republic of China, haunted Hui for years.The Golden Era is rumored to be her last piece due to her health condition.

In this film, Huireunited with her old partner, Li Qiang,the screenwriterof her previous work,The Postmodern Life of My Aunt. In order to re-present Xiao Hong’s tragic drifting, escaping from wars and tangling with four men from the 1920s to 1940s, over twenty-nine actors and actresses join the cast, including Tang Wei who play the role of Xiao Hong.

The film is now in post-production, and it will probably be released in April, 2014.

Hou Hsiao-hsien: The Lady from Tang

Preparing for 7 years before the initiation of The Lady from Tangin October 2012, Hou Hsiao-hsien finally completed filming his first martial arts film in Taiwan. The production company also confirmed it would be in 2014.

The Lady from Tang has investors from Mainland China, Taiwan, Korea, Canada and Europe with $15 million, and it is the most expensive production that Houhas ever made.

It stars Shu Qi and Chang Chen who both played in Hou Hsiao-hsien artistic film Three Times; naturally, audiences are curious about how would they work together again and whether Hou could pick up the martial arts genre instead of making an untypicalaction film of his artistic style.

Tung Wai, who won several awards and nominations for Best Action Choreography at Golden Horse Awards and Hong Kong Film Awards,was invited to be the action director. Hou revealed that he would not employ any 3D computer graphic technology in the film.

John Woo: The Crossing

After Red Cliff II produced 5 years ago, John Woo went onto a battle with big-budget epic The Crossing.

It has attracted people’s attention due to its budget, all-star cast, production progress and the misfortune happened to the production company, Beijing Galloping horse Film & TV Production Company. Recently, Woo has been shooting in Taiwan, and the film will be released at the end of 2014.

It is Woo’s first war-related disaster film, and it portrays three couples with different backgrounds, whose fate is closely tied with the tide of history as they undergo wars and disasters in a half century and eventually found happiness. John Woo indicated that this would not be a heavy film despite its setting; it would be full of hope with action, drama and humor.

Aiming to represent the Chinese equivalent to Titanic, John Woo invited the Hollywood team that worked for special effects in Titanic to do the post-production. The glamourous cast of Takeshi Kaneshiro,Masami Nagasawa,SongHye-kyo, Zhang Ziyi, Huang Xiaoming and Tong Dawei is truly alluring.

Zhang Yimou: Return

Return is Zhang Yimou’s first feature film after he joined Le Vision Pictures as the artistic director. Instead of making a commercial film, Zhang chose to pick upartistic film that he was famous for during the 1990s, and the film is an adaptation of The Criminal Lu Yanshi, a novel by Yan Geling who worked with him in The Flower of War.

Zhang expected to focus on intellectuals’ fate in a wide historical context, and characters’ rough fate throughout their lifetime would arouse audiences’ sympathy. Le Vision Pictures, a Chinese film company with outstanding marketing strategies, has been conducting a series marketing campaignsthroughnew media since the project was initiated.

Veteran actor Chen Daoming, Gong Li, who made her name for performing in Zhang’s feature debutRed Sorghum (1987) and some who alsoworked with Zhang before will jointhe cast, such as Yan Ni, Zhang Jiayi and FengYuanzheng.

Chen Kaige: Taoist Mountain

Chen Kaige decided to try the action genre again in 2014, while audience still frowns upon his last action film The Promise produced 11 years ago.His upcoming film will be his first attempt to 3D technology.

Taoist Mountain is an adaptation of novel written by Xu Haofeng, the screenwriter for Wong Kar-wai’sThe Grandmasters. Theorectially, Taoist Mountain seems to be more grounded in terms of story-telling than The Promise.

Wang Baoqiang, Wang Xueqi, Li Xuejian, Fan Wei, Taiwanese actor Vanness Wu, Hong Kong actors Wah Yuen, Jaycee Chan, Suet Lam and Chan Kwok-Kwan have been cast. Recent news also revealed that Lin Chiling will also join the film.

With such great support from martial arts expert Xu Haofeng and several actors from the Mainland, Taiwan and Hong Kong, local audience anticipates to watch a martial arts film that can better reflect Chen Kaige’s artistic accomplishment.

Hark Tsui: Tracks in the Snowy Forest

As a Hong Kong director who has successful conquered the Mainland film market, Hark Tsui has never stop trying to challenge himself: he was one of the very first Chinese directors who shot in 3D and even made an underwater 3D filmYoung Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon which raked in over $ million in 2013. Audiences have enough reasons to expect his new 3D film.

Famous for making martial arts films, Tsui regarded Tracks in the Snowy Forest as martial arts genre of characters holding guns instead of swords. The film was adapted from a best-known story of “Eight Model Plays (Yang Banxi)”. He will create a visual spectacle with 3D technology and represent grand warfare scenes in the story.

Showing respect to the original novel, Tsui might not employ any Hong Kong actors. So far, disclosed cast included Mainland actors: Zhang Hanyu, Lin Gengxin, Tong Liya and Zhou Dongyu, etc.

This film has been shooting in the Northeast of China where the story is set, and it will be shown in theaters in 2014.

Lok Man Leung & Luk Kim-ching: Helios

In 2012, Lok Man Leung and Luk Kim-ching made their directorial debut Cold War, winning praises and box office. They won Best Director and Best Screenplay at the Hong Kong Film Awards 2013. In 2014, they will partner up to make another crime film Helios.

The film is set in Asia: a wanted man,who frequently committed crimes all around the world with a code “Helios”, attempts to sell highly enriched uraniumstolen from North Korea to Middle Eastterrorists in Hong Kong. The news goes around, so the Mainland China, Hong Kong, South Korea and U.S. decide to arrest “Helios”.

The production budget for Helios is estimated to be over $33 million, and the film will be shot in many places across Asia gathering many veteran actors together:Nick Cheung, Wang Xueqi, Jacky Cheung and ChangChen, etc. Korean actors Choi Si Won and Ji Jin-hee will also join the crew.

Helios was presented by Media Asia and Sil-Metropole Organization Ltd.