Mainland China To Release Three Adaptations of “The Bund”

TVB’s classic crime drama series The Bund <上海灘> was a huge hit in Asia when it was released in 1980, and its legacy remains alive even after so many years. Thanks to this series, Chow Yun Fat (周潤發), Ray Lui (呂良偉), and Angie Chiu (趙雅芝) became superstars across Asia, and their stardom remains strong today.

The Bund spawned several film adaptations and remakes over the last thirty years. However, none of them managed to emulate the success of the original series, not even the 1996 Hong Kong film adaptation Shanghai Grand <新上海灘> starring Andy Lau (劉德華) and Leslie Cheung (張國榮).

Even so, the lasting impact of the original series has continued to inspire filmmakers to make more. According to new reports, three film adaptations of The Bund from Mainland China are in the making, and one of them—starring Leon Lai (黎明) and Gao Yuanyuan (高圓圓)—is already awaiting for release.

The Choice <君子道：上海灘後傳>, touted as the Chinese version of The Godfather, is a self-proclaimed sequel of The Bund. It stars Leon Lai as Hui Man Keung, who had survived his assassination and is now taking on a godfather role. In this story, Ting Lik has become a villain and dies a horrible death.

Gao Xixi (高希希), who directed the 2006 Chinese television drama remake of The Bund starring Huang Xiaoming (黃曉明) as Hui Man Keung, has signed on to direct a film adaptation of the original series, produced by Beijing Tianzhong Yinghua and Eastern Shanghai. Reports say that Nicholas Tse (謝霆鋒) was cast to play Hui Man Keung, while Han Geng (韓庚) was cast to play Ting Lik.

Ray Lui, the original actor of Ting Lik, became a household name after the success of The Bund, and his character also spawned two more drama sequels from TVB. It was reported that Ray is currently investing in another upcoming film adaptation for the series, and the movie, tentatively titled The Legend of Ting Lik <上海灘之丁力傳> will be directed by Poon Man Kit (潘文傑), the director of 1996’s Shanghai Grand.

Sources say Ray contacted Chow Yun Fat and Angie Chiu, asking them if they would be interested in reprising their roles for the film. However, due to funding and script issues, both of them turned down the offer.

The Legend of Ting Lik will see the return of Ray as Ting Lik, now one of Shanghai’s strongest leaders of the underworld, and his story with some ambitious youngsters. It was reported that young Chinese idol actors have been cast to star as these youngsters, including Kris Wu (吳亦凡) and Lu Han (鹿晗). The Legend of Ting Lik will begin filming at the end of the year.

Source: IHKTV

This article is written by Addy for JayneStars.com.