Jessica Mansfield
He may be a veteran, but even Jackie Chan has a first every now and then. From Chinese kung-fu films to Hollywood blockbusters, it may seem like he’s done it all, but there’s still a first time for everything. “It’s the first time that I performed in a sci-fi action movie,” Chan reveals at a Sydney press conference to announce the start of photography on his next film, Bleeding Steel.
Bleeding Steel is the first time that Jackie Chan has shot a film in Australia since 1996’s Mr. Nice Guy; it is also the biggest budget Chinese Production to ever shoot in Australia.
“It is also a great honour for a young company like ours to have Jackie’s first time,” President of Heyi Pictures, Kailuo Liu says. “We are confident that with Heyi Pictures’ powerful internet resources in the Chinese film industry, and Jackie’s international influence, coupled with our brilliant production team, and a first class sci-fi story, we will be able to create a remarkable film for audiences around the world.”
The film is a co-production between Heyi Pictures and Village Roadshow Pictures Asia. Heyi Pictures is owned by Youko Tudoi, which is one of China’s biggest video websites.
Jackie Chan is genuinely surprised when discussing his first foray in science fiction. He is also quite open about the fact that after 54 years in the industry, he is still doing his own stunt work. “In the old days, when we were in Hong Kong, we had no money, I had to risk my life. If I knew after every jump that I would break my ankle, I would never do it, but you never know. And today, even now we have enough money for great special effects, for a green screen, but the audience, they don’t like that anymore. Still, poor me, I get to do all the things! I think that makes a lot of young children, and martial artists, all around the world, they respect me because I do that.
“That’s why I try to make this kind of movie, because everyone knows, I’m still young, but I’m not young anymore, not like I used to be. And I want to do something different, with my director, with the technology, with real stunts, real action, combined together, and that will make something new.”
Bleeding Steel follows Chan’s hardened Special Forces agent Lin, who becomes embroiled in a huge conspiracy whilst fighting to protect a young woman, who is an important witness for a major case. Years later, after the publication of an epic sci-fi novel, the parties behind the conspiracy come to the surface.
Alongside Chan at the press conference was director Leo Zhang and other confirmed cast, including Nana Ouyang, Erica Xia-Hou, and Australian Tess Haubrich (Infini).
And despite this being his first sci-fi film, Jackie Chan still wants more firsts: he is yet to star in his first romantic film. “Forty years ago I got the accident in Yugoslavia [during the shoot for Armour of God], and then my company had a few things they won’t let me do. No love scenes in a movie, no kissing scene in movies. As soon as I have a girlfriend in a movie, two girls suicide in Japan. So there’s a superstition now. A lot of writers, it become very natural for them. ‘Jackie – no love story. Jackie – no kissing scene’. But now, I’ve started to make my own movies, so there’s no superstition anymore. Please, producers, directors, hire me to make a love story! Love stories are so easy!”
Bleeding Steel is in production, and will be in cinemas next year.
