Wednesday July 19, 2006
Spy thriller "Lust, Caution" to be shot in Malaysia
HONG KONG (AP) - Taiwanese director Ang Lee has cast Cannes best actor winner Tony Leung, Chinese-American pop star Leehom Wang and mainland Chinese newcomer Tang Wei in his upcoming spy thriller "Lust, Caution,'' his assistant said.
Lee's assistant, David Lee, said filming is expected to start in September and will take place in Malaysia, Hong Kong and Shanghai, adding that it is not clear how long filming will take.
The film marks Lee's return to Chinese-language film after making "The Hulk'' and the gay romance "Brokeback Mountain,'' which won Lee a best director Oscar this year, Lee's assistant, David Lee, told The Associated Press about the director's casting choices.
"We're still scouting locations,'' he said.
"Lust, Caution,'' based on a 26-page short story by famed Chinese writer Eileen Chang, is about a group of patriotic students who plot to assassinate the intelligence chief in the Japanese-backed Chinese government during the World War II era.
Hong Kong's Leung, who won best actor at Cannes for "In the Mood for Love'' in 2000, plays the intelligence official Mr. Yi, while Tang plays the Chinese student Wang Jiazhi, who seduces Yi to pave the way for the assassination.
Singer Wang portrays Kuang Yumin, a student collaborator of Wang Jiazhi's.
Media speculation of Lee's choice for leading lady had been intense because of Zhang Ziyi's rise to stardom after starring in Lee's martial arts hit "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.''
Zhang went on to appear in Hollywood films including "Rush Hour 2'' and "Memoirs of a Geisha.''
Earlier, Chinese media had wrongly tipped another mainland Chinese actress, Liu Yifei, for the lead female role in "Lust, Caution.''
Little is known about Tang.
Reports say the 27-year-old, who graduated from China's Central Academy of Drama, majoring in directing, resembles Taiwanese sex symbol Shu Qi.
She reportedly took part in a beauty pageant and appeared in a TV series and a TV film. Ang Lee's expected September start date for shooting "Lust, Caution'' gives Cannes winner Leung a tight schedule.
This summer, Leung is due to film "Confession of Pain,'' directed by Andrew Lau and Alan Mak of "Infernal Affairs'' fame.
The movie is about a police officer who seeks revenge for a family tragedy. - AP
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