Production has commenced on Chinese director Sammo Hung’s upcoming action thriller The Bodyguard which Lava Bear Films has come on board to co-produce with Edko Films, Irresistible Films and Focus Films. The film, starring Hung and Chinese superstar Andy Lau is being produced by Bill Kong (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Hero), Andy Lau (Firestorm, A Simple Life), Chan Pui-wah (Firestorm, A Simple Life) and Ivy Ho (Cold War, Rise of the Legend). Currently in production in Northern China, the movie will be released in Summer 2015.
The Bodyguard follows a retired bodyguard (Hung) who has settled in the dark and unknown corner of the world where China, Russia and North Korea meet. Suffering from the beginnings of dementia, the bodyguard is befriended by a young girl whose life is threatened when her father (Lau) falls in with the local crime world. When the girl and her father disappear, the bodyguard must call upon his long forgotten skills to save the life of his young friend.
Continuing the company’s involvement in Chinese production, Lava Bear Films has come aboard the film, with Lava Bears David Linde and Tory Metzger joining as Executive Producers. Lava Bear was most recently involved as Executive Producers of Zhang Yimou’s Coming Home, which premiered at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival and will be released by Sony Classics this winter as well as Yimou’s Flowers of War, which grossed over $90 million in China and was the country’s nominee for the Academy Award. Linde’s work with Chinese filmmakers, including many partnerships with Kong, spans nearly two decades, beginning with Chen Kaige’s Palme d’Or winning Farewell My Concubine and continuing with Ang Lee’s multi-Oscar winning Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Jet Li’s Fearless and Yimou’s global smash Hero, among many others. Metzger’s distinguished career includes working at Creative Artists Agency (CAA) for 17 years, where she represented many artists, including Ang Lee.
Said Linde, “It’s intrinsic to Lava Bear that we grow where film is growing, and to do so with talented filmmakers. To be working with Bill again, not to mention such iconic artists as Sammo Hung and Andy Lau, is simply thrilling.”
Said Kong, “It is great to be working together with David and Andy again. The last time three of us were together was ‘House of the Flying Daggers,’ and I look forward to coming up with something even more special.”
Jennifer Semler, Lava Bears Vice President of Production, will also work on The Bodyguard on behalf of the production company. The shooting locations for the film include Suifenhe Shi (Heilongjiang Province), Vladivostok, and Mudangjiang Shi (Heilongjiang Province).
(Photo Credit: Getty Images)
