Ip Man 3

Ip Man 3
Directed by Wilson Yip
Produced by Raymond Wong
Written by Edmond Wong
Starring Donnie Yen
Mike Tyson
Production
company
Pegasus Motion Pictures[1]
Country Hong Kong
Language Cantonese
Budget US$36 million[2]

Ip Man 3 is an upcoming Hong Kong semi biographical martial arts film directed by Wilson Yip, produced by Raymond Wong and written by Edmond Wong. It is the third in the Ip Man film series based on the life of the Wing Chun grandmaster Yip Man, and features Donnie Yen reprising the title role. The film will also star Mike Tyson, and Yip Man's pupil Bruce Lee, recreated through CGI. Principal photography commenced in March 2015. The film will tentatively have a 3D release in 2016.

Cast

Production

Donnie Yen initially expressed his lack of interest in making a third film, feeling that, "Ip Man 2 would incontrovertibly become a classic, bettering the first."[3] Yen later stated that after Ip Man 2, he would no longer be involved in a film based on Yip Man's life.[4] While both Yen and Raymond Wong were not initially keen on making a third Ip Man film, director Wilson Yip had expressed interest in making one that would focus on the relationship between Yip Man and Bruce Lee. While Ip Man 2 very briefly shows Lee as a child, Wilson Yip hoped to find a suitable actor to portray Lee as an adult for the third installment.[5]

In March 2014, Variety announced that Ip Man 3 would be shot in early 2015, and would be released in 3D during Chinese New Year that year, with Wilson Yip, Yen and Wong reprising their duties.[1] In March 2015, The Hollywood Reporter announced that Mike Tyson would star as an unnamed property developer who is also a street fighter. They also noted that because the team was unable to find an actor who could portray Bruce Lee's intensity onscreen, they decided to use CGI to portray Lee.[2] In the same month, Yen said that Ip Man 3 could be his final martial arts film.[6] Principal photography began in Shanghai on 25 March 2015, and the film is tentatively scheduled for a 3D release in the first quarter of 2016.[2]

Lawsuit

Kris Storti, the COO of Bruce Lee Enterprises (BLE), said that BLE, which is the sole owner of all worldwide rights relating to Lee, including his name, image and likeness, was "justifiably shocked" over Pegasus Motion Pictures' decision to include Lee in their film, which Stori said was "completely unauthorized" by BLE. He added, "To state it in no uncertain terms, BLE intends to seek all remedies available to it to stop Pegasus from including the computer-generated version of Bruce Lee in Ip Man 3". However, Pegasus asserted that Bruce Lee's brother Robert Lee, who is working as a consultant on Ip Man 3, owns the intellectual property rights of Bruce, a charge denied by BLE.[7]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Patrick Frater (23 March 2014). "Pegasus Rides in With ‘Z Storm,’ ‘Ip Man 3′". Variety. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Karen Chu. "Former Boxing Champ Mike Tyson Signs Up for Hong Kong Action Flick 'Ip Man 3'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
  3. ↑ "Ip Man 2: Sammo Hung Vs Donnie Yen Round 2 - Wu-Jing.org". wu-jing.org. 30 October 2009. Retrieved 1 March 2010.
  4. ↑ "Donnie Yen Has Had Enough of Ip Man - Wu-Jing.org". wu-jing.org. 8 March 2010. Retrieved 29 March 2010.
  5. ↑ "Will Jay Chou Play Bruce Lee in Ip Man 3?". theblackboxoffice.com. Archived from the original on 11 February 2012. Retrieved 5 August 2011.
  6. ↑ "Donnie Yen: "Ip Man 3" may be my final martial arts film". Yahoo. 27 March 2015. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
  7. ↑ "Bruce Lee's Estate Seeks to Stop Icon's Depiction in 'Ip Man 3'". The Hollywood Reporter. 31 March 2015. Retrieved 4 April 2015.

External links