Chinese mainland actress Li Bingbing is expected to be included in the cast lineup for the Sino-American movie "J & J Project" starring Jackie Chan and Jet Li.
The only Chinese mainland investor involved in the film, Huayi Brothers, has recommended three Chinese actresses, including Li Bingbing, Fan Wenfang and Ruby Lin, to its American partners. Wang Zhonglei, CEO of the Huayi Brothers Film Company told Shanghai Morning Post that Li Bingbing is the strongest competitor and has already met with the other investors and read the script.
Directed by Rob Minkoff, the action film will tell the adventure story of a kung fu master in modern times who accidentally travels back to ancient China and encounters the Monkey King. The two Chinese kungfu icons Jackie Chan and Jet Li have already confirmed their participation in the film. The remaining leads are for two females. One will reportedly go to young Chinese actress Liu Yifei. The other will be selected from the list of recommendations provided by Huayi Brothers.
Shanghai Morning Post also reported on Sunday most of the film involves action scenes, making Li Bingbing more competitive since she did a good action performance in the 2005 blockbuster "A World Without Thieves."
The actress's publicist said Li had memorized all her lines in the English script before meeting the film's director, so language would not be a problem for her.
The movie will start shooting later this year.
(CRI.cn March 5, 2007)
