5 Dec – Sean Lau and Tang Wei's new film, "The Tale of Three Cities" has just recently begin its production and rumours are rife that the movie is based on the true story of Jackie Chan's parents, the late Charles and Lee-Lee Chan.
According to website Sina, the movie, produced by Shi Nansun and is currently filming in Anhui, is a story of a relationship that began during the turbulent era of 1930s China.
It was alleged that Jackie was approached by the people behind the movie production about working on a film together in 2003, when Jackie himself stated in 2008 that he wanted to write his parents' story into film. Jackie also expressed his interest in casting Chinese stars Jiang Wen and Gong Li in the leading role while also revealing that director Mabel Cheung has signed on to direct.
In a previous interview, Jackie also revealed that his father used to be from Anhui, and moved to several cities in mainland China before he decided to settle in Hong Kong and worked as a customs officer. The two met when his mother, who smuggled opium for a living, was caught at the customs gate. However, his father decided to release her for the sake of her two young children she was carrying.
Although Mabel has neither denied nor admitted to the rumours, in a press conference that was held previously, she stated, "The main character is from Shandong who escaped to Anhui. He later went to Nanjing, Shanghai and finally arrived in Hong Kong. I don't dare to say the movie is like "Gone with the Wind", but I hope to achieve the same quality."
Meanwhile, the movie, which is also co-directed by Alex Law, stars Sean Lau, Tang Wei, Qin Hailu, and Jing Boran.
2009 ·SuperChan's Jackie Chan Blog by TNB