Esotropiart

News broke last month (rumored for a while) that Jet Li and Jackie Chan will finally meet on the big screen. Apparently Jet and Jackie have no intention of writing Wu Shu Poetry together because Fearless was Jet's Final Martial Arts Epic. I guess as long as each subsequent movie he makes can be classified with a new and obscure genre title, Jet's fearless statement is forgivable. This new film, allegedly telling the mystical story of The Monkey King, is toted as a "family film". As much as I respect what appears to be a conscious decision toward a change of focus, I'm glad Jet isn't disappointing his fans by giving up on film altogether. Maybe we can all help him out by coming up with new genre titles for him to use. For example, Twin Warriors was a "Tai Chi Discovery Workshop", and the Once Upon a Time in China series can be grouped under the new genre, "Untouchable Mystical Skill Master Extravaganza". Let's just hope Jet continues to Wu and Shu us all in one way or another.

I have always respected both Jet and Jackie for their intentional avoidance of projects with copious amounts of trashy and immoral content (for the most part). The fact that this new project is being labeled a "family film" intrigues me. Perhaps it will be more of a comedy than anything else. If only Bruce Lee was still alive: sometimes I wonder what sort of movies he'd be making now. What a trio that would be!

I'm glad Jet Li and Jackie Chan are finally realizing what incredible results their collaborative genius can produce. No matter what the final product is, I am jumping in anticipation. It will be interesting to see what influences and styles will emerge from these starkly different yet equally talented artists. Not to mention that one Yuen-woo Ping will be the stunt choreographer! Is there a martial arts movie made in the last 5 (30) years that he isn't involved in? Can you say "Matrix", "Kill Bill", "Kung Fu Hustle", "Fearless", "Unleashed", "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", "Once Upon a Time in China", "Drunken Master" and a host of others? I just hope the three great minds don't do real world battle, while ironing out the intricate details. Jackie especially must be getting used to choreographical freedom, as he is a noteworthy fight and stunt coordinator. Oh boy, the possibilities for this movie are borderline ridiculous. Eat it up fans!