Stars join the party
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Hong Kong actor Daniel Wu and filmmaker John Woo have joined the cast of Founding of a Party, a film depicting the birth of the Chinese Communist Party in 1921.
Wu will play renowned scholar Hu Shih and Woo will play Lin Sen, a senior official of the then-ruling Nationalist government.
Han Sanping, head of the state-owned China Film Group Corporation, co-directs the film with veteran filmmaker Huang Jianxin.
The film will trace events between the 1911 revolution, that overthrew the imperial Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), and the establishment of the Chinese Communist Party in 1921.
Huang says Wu was the first actor to come to mind when he thought of possibilities for Hu, who was around 26-years-old at that time, and who had just returned to China after studying for a doctor's degree at Columbia University in the United States. He later taught in Peking University and wrote for the influential journal New Youth, advocating freedom, democracy and science.
Huang says Wu and Hu not only share the same look but also the experience of learning in the US.
Born in California, Wu majored in architecture at the University of Oregon before he moved to Hong Kong in 1997, where he quickly rose to stardom.
According to a crewmember surnamed Liu, many famous actors auditioned for the film, such as Liu Ye, Chen Kun and Dong Jie. Director Lu Chuan also tried his luck.
Filming will start on Aug 18 and the film is expected to hit the screen late 2011, the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party. The locations include Beijing, Shanghai, Changsha, Paris and Moscow.
Han and Huang pioneered the gathering of numerous stars in a patriotic film in 2009, with their Founding of a Republic celebrating the 60th anniversary of the People's Republic of China, which raked in 415 million yuan ($61 million). Thanks to Han's clout in the industry, the film attracted a stellar cast, including Jackie Chan, Jet Li and Zhang Ziyi, although the stars only made cameo appearances.
Woo also had a role in that film, but his part was cut in the released version.
There have been rumors that actor Liu Ye, whose portfolio includes Zhang Yimou's Curse of the Golden Flower and war epic City of Life and Death, will play Mao Zedong this time, but the two directors are remaining tight-lipped until filming starts. Andy Lau is expected to play the legendary general Cai E and Zhou Xun might play his lover.
