'Wolf Totem' set for Spring Festival release
- By Zhang Rui
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E-mail China.org.cn, October 14, 2014
The wild epic "Wolf Totem" will be released on China's Lunar New Year's Day, the China Film Group chairman revealed Monday in Beijing.
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Chinese actor Feng Shaofeng comes onstage to introduce the film "Wolf Totem" at a press conference in Beijing on Oct. 13, 2014. [China.org.cn] |
Because the most important Chinese holiday -- Spring Festival, also known as Chinese Lunar New Year -- starts on Feb. 19, 2015, very close to Valentine’s Day, "Wolf Totem" will try to seize the profitable opportunity of this hot film season. The film will be shown in an advanced screening on Valentine’s Day and will be released nationally on Spring Festival, said La Peikang, the Chairman of China's Film Bureau, a division of the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television.
"Wolf Totem" has been in development for 10 years, but its release date was not decided until Monday. The film will enter the most furiously competitive film season of the year, which will see the debuts of several other highly-anticipated blockbusters, including Jackie Chan's historical war epic "Dragon Blade" co-starring Academy Award-winner Adrien Brody, Guo Jingming’s teenage crush franchise sequel "Tiny Times 4," "The Man From Macau 2" by Wong Jing and 3D fantasy movie "Zhongkui: Snow Girl and the Dark Crystal."
But due to a recent ban issued by the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television, Jackie Chan's film is rumored to be seeking another release date due to his son's drug scandal, while "Tiny Times 4" may also face the dilemma of having another actor replace Kai Ko, who was detained by police for using drugs. "Wolf Totem" will benefit significantly if any of these movies have to reschedule their releases.
The film is currently in post-production, with the legendary James Horner ("Braveheart," "Titanic") on board to compose the film’s score.
"Wolf Totem" is based on the bestselling Chinese novel written by Jiang Rong. The book also has international appeal, as it was translated into over 30 languages and has been sold in more than 100 countries. Academy Award winning director Jean-Jacques Annaud, famous for his movies "The Bear" (1988) and "L'amant" (1992), tried to bring the marvelous story to the big screen for seven years before beginning filming in July 2012. Chinese actors Feng Shaofeng and Dou Xiao star in the film, which portrays the story of the relationship between people and a wolf pack in Inner Mongolia.
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