I'll never forget the first time I saw a copy of Five Deadly Venoms. I was walking with a friend through Toronto, one who raved to me over the virtues of the cult-favorite martial arts film. We walked into an old video store by chance, and there it was, an old and tattered copy of Chang Cheh's movie. In that moment, I saw the biggest burst of adult male fanboy possible. I thought the windows would blow from the rush of excitement. Since then, I can't help but smile when I hear the name, and it seems like I'll be smiling more because the film is getting re-made (because of the name, not the remake).So, the movie started to gear up in December, with Kirk Wong signed on as the writer and director. This will be the first directed feature for Hong Kong helmer since The Big Hit in 1998. Yeah, I know... Now he's reportedly saying that his cast will "probably" include: Jay Chou as the lead, with Edison Chen, Maggie Q, Huang Xiaoming, Wu Jing and Liu Chia-Hui as the Deadly Venoms. There's definitely enough of a draw for some wider audiences, especially Q, who is following up Mission: Impossible III with Balls of Fury and Live Free or Die Hard, and Chia-Hui, who played Johnny Mo in Kill Bill Vol. 1 and Pai Mai in Vol. 2. The film has a nice $15 million budget and will shoot this September in Shanghai, Harbin (China) and the U.S. So, now the question is: Will this be worth it? His last film was pretty questionable, and now he's taking on a beloved classic. Are you ready to see the Five Deadly Venoms strike again?
[via Twitch]
