Fred Cheng to Star in Remake of Stephen Chow’s “The Final Combat”?
Fred Cheng (鄭俊弘) may be well on his way to become Hong Kong’s next biggest star. Producer Wong Jing (王晶) is reportedly considering casting Fred as the lead actor in his upcoming adaptation of the classic TVB period drama The Final Combat <蓋世豪俠>, the television series that pushed Stephen Chow (周星馳) to a household name overnight.
The Final Combat, released in 1989, was the first production to feature Stephen’s famous mo lei tau comedy skits. The series follows the ceremonious adventures of Tuen Fei (Stephen Chow), a mischievous youth who has a strong hatred to martial arts.
Wong Jing first revealed his plans of remaking a TVB classic when he was promoting his upcoming television drama Across Heaven and Earth <縱橫天地> earlier this year. He did not reveal details at the time, but said confidently say that the production would be “explosive”.
TVB reportedly suggested Wong Jing to cast Wong Cho Lam (王祖藍) or Johnson Lee (李思捷) as Tuen Fei, but Wong Jing felt that the two comedic actors were not suitable, expressing that the drama would have more impact to cast a newer face instead. A source revealed, “Jing Gor felt that Cho Lam was too short and it would be hard to cast a lead actress to match his height. As for Johnson Lee, he felt that he was too old for the character.”
After a thorough search with TVB, Wong Jing allegedly decided to settle on Fred Cheng, one of the biggest breakout star of 2013. The source said, “TVB told Wong Jing that he should promote someone who could eventually become as big as Andy Lau (劉德華) or Tony Leung (梁朝偉). That’s why he should find someone who could both sing and act because having both skills could guarantee a longer-lasting career in the industry.”
When the press relayed the casting news to Fred yesterday, he appeared shocked. “I really haven’t heard about this before!” He immediately asked his manager for confirmation, who cheerfully replied, “Don’t know yet! All I know is that they are working on a drama tailor-made for you. I wonder if it’s this one?”
On his thoughts about being the possible successor to Stephen Chow, Fred immediately said, “I don’t dare say I am anyone’s successor. There is only one Stephen Chow, but if it’s true I will definitely try my best! Wow! This news is too much! Too much!”
Regarding the casting news, Wong Jing simply responded through his Sina Weibo blog, “The report is not true!”
Source: ihktv.com
This article is written by Addy for JayneStars.com.
Go Wong jing
Wong Jing is the man!
The Final Combat is great! Fred is up for a great movie star breakthrough!
Agree Wong jing might not make good movies but gotta love him for giving new faces a chance
Wong Jing already said on his weibo that the above news report is not true. 不實報導！
http://www.weibo.com/u/2159863893
Clamine,
I was shocked for a moment! Wonder what Fred’s custom-tailored role will be.
i’m glad it’s not true, though I’m a big fan of Fred, don’t think he can live up to Stephen Chow’s acting yet. but excited for his custom tailored role as well! 😀
Remakes of classics won’t be as good, but hopes it does well
Wouhh this will make Fred a huge movie star! I’m so happy for Fred! Thanks Wong Jing!
Clamine said that wong jing denied it and said the report is not true, so nothing is confirm! we have to wait for more of its news
Remaking a drama that had made a star like Stephen chow might not happen to Fred(no offense, not saying he’s bad). However, current films and dramas aren’t the same as the great golden times. Remakes aren’t always that good. The remake of flirty scholar starring Huang Xiaoming was terrible, it was nothing like the Stephen chow’s version(the best)
I don’t like how TVB obviously want to promote Wong Cho Lam and Johnson Lee! I agree with Brother Jing WCL is too short and Johson is too old and both are annoying comedians! I’m sad that Brother Jing denied Fred will star in this but I hope Brother Jing an make a tailor made movie for Fred! That’s better!
Luckily this isn’t true (either about the remake or the casting) because
1. never ever remake a classic that can’t be remade which means never remake any Stephen Chow series
2. never ever try to find a stephen chow successor. Remember Nick Cheung? Better off being his own actor than some successor
3. Fred should say no immediately if true because Stephen Chow is very much alive, still active and his series are still watched by many. So if he doesn’t want to have his career crash and burn even before it started, it will be wise to avoid such remakes.
It will be wise for Cholam or Johnson to say no too. The point is this remake is the worst idea ever.
everyone knows that you are a die hard fan of chow sing chi so your comment is a little biased,i support fred nothing is imposible if you never tried you never know.
Let’s face it. Stephen Chow was phenomenal even when he first started, he basically created his own brand of comedy, Final Combat being the process. That series is already a classic. I’ve seen Fred’s work, he is talented but if he is handed such an iconic role which basically is built by Stephen himself which makes any remake a sure fire for comparison, he will crash and burn. As his die hard fan, is this what you want? Benny Chan was a good actor, he tried very hard but he was a poor substitute to di-cky’s Monkey King. Same thing here. And Stephen Chow is a million times of that. They can try to remake Justice Of Life, which I feel will benefit Fred more even if again Stephen made this role more than what it was on paper but at least easier than Final Combat.
Point is Fred will never be in the same league as Stephen Chow whether in comedy or drama. That is a reality and no fans should be so delusional to think so. What will benefit Fred now is a workable character to make it his own and remakes won’t help. It has to be either a lesser character or some remake of some book or some new character. Just steer clear from obvious classic where the character is the total invention of one actor. There is a reason Stephen Chow is not just King of Comedy, he is the godfather of comedy and still unchallenged till today. Whatever is your opinion of his personal life, his movies are box office gold and Wong Jing may thought he made Stephen Chow, the truth is after the split Stephen Chow went on to better things. And in TVB he has nothing to do with Stephen’s career either.
Some people like Stephen Chow’s acting and some people don’t, and I am one of them.
However, to be safe, perhaps Fred Cheng shouldn’t challenge himself to do a remake of Stephen Chow’s classic comedic wuxia drama series, “The Final Combat”.
i already said you are a little biased,but im wrong you are not a little biased but a truly lover of sing jeh to death.how can you judge things that hasnt happen yet,its all pre-judgement and comparisons with other actors in the past.im not delusional and fred isnt benny chan,you may right that fred wouldnt as good as sing jeh in final combat but it will not say he cant be decent too,in your eyes sing jeh is almost holy.
@kolo: I support Fred and I’m not a fan of Stephen Chow — but I absolutely agree with Funn. Remakes of classics are never good, especially such an iconic classic as Final Combat — it’s not going to work and there will be nothing but backlash. I love Fred, but for his own good, he definitely should turn this down because there is no good that can come out of it — no matter what people’s opinion is of Stephen Chow (I personally don’t like him), there is no doubt that he is talented, legendary, and irreplaceable…
which means that anyone who even tries to fill his shoes is pretty much asking for criticism and backlash.
Right now, Fred is at the height of popularity and every little thing he does is going to be scrutinized. Fans are very sensitive and with the social media craze nowadays, it’s so easy for artists to have one wrong move affect their careers or their popularity. Just as an example — a few months back, Fred gave his support to his good friend Lesley Chiang on weibo when she had a new song out and almost immediately, people who disliked Lesley took to Fred’s weibo and started bashing him (some so-called fans who obviously weren’t his true fans even threatened to stop being his fans because of it!). With such a minor issue like that already causing such a stir, imagine what would happen if this rumor about the remake turned out to be true?
Fred doesn’t need such negative attention right now — he just needs to be left alone so that he can concentrate on recording his debut album and fulfilling the singer dream that he’s always had.
@Funn: Well-said and I agree with you! The quickest way to kill an artist’s career / reputation / popularity is to start comparing him/her to an iconic or legendary artist when they are in completely DIFFERENT leagues. I understand that some companies like to do this as a marketing ploy to promote their artists (it happens in the music world alot), but honestly, how many times has it been successful? Rarely. I personally take offence whenever I hear this kind of stuff because to me, no artist should ever rely on piggy-backing off of another artist’s success to get ahead. This is why I hope that if Fred is offered any remake of any iconic series, he has the foresight to turn it down (though I sort of worry because Fred is managed by TVB, which means he might not have a say if something like this was offered to him in the future…and we all know how poor of a job TVB has been doing in the artist management area…)
@ilwy,does this mean that fred have to be afraid of the backlashes?there is always ppl that gives negative comment no matter how good you are. yes his singing skill may be better than his acting but lets give him a try.
@kolo: Who said anything about Fred’s acting being sub-standard? His acting is fine and I would love to see him have a meaty role in a series — but NOT in a remake of an iconic series. If he gets a good role in that series with Anthony Wong for example, then I’m absolutely fine with it, since that won’t be a remake and there won’t be the pressure of comparison to a legend.
And it’s not about being ‘afraid’ of backlash — it’s about making the right career decisions and being ‘smart’ about the projects an artist chooses (if they have the right to choose that is).
I want Fred to succeed whether as a singer or an actor or both. I have always liked him and I find him likable, talented and plus point is he looks young, so if ever TVB ever get the rights to remake any Jinyong classic for example, I want him to be Cheung Mo Kei. That sort of role, not Stephen Chow’s role. He can even play Fatt Gor’s roles but not a character made iconic by an actor’s own personal brand of way of making it forever associated with that actor.
As for me being absolutely biased, yes I am and so are you Kolo, be as blinded as you can be, there are some roles just isn’t right for him, not yet, not right now, more so when Fred was never a comedian in the first place. I feel there should be a tailor made young men series for him, something that capitalises on his youthful handsome looks as well as his singing abilities. TVB doesn’t seem to know what to do with him, the same as they didn’t know what to do with Sammul Chan. I hope I am wrong.
Sandcherry, it is not a challenge, it is a death sentence. I am sure his fans will be supportive and TVB will spin a positive news to the results but in the end, people will always say the classic is better. It is not really Final Combat being the bar of comparison but Stephen Chow. I am afraid not many can be at his level, whether as a comedian, actor, or box office success. I look highly on Stephen Chow because TVB can boasts a handful of their trained actors who made it into supernova status and Stephen Chow is only that very few.
@Funn:
I agree with your later explanations. Fred should try something new and different ……. more tailor-made for his current status as a famous singer. He should not act “The Final Combat” as his acting will never overtake Stephen Chow unique acting no matter he does well or not.
Phew glad it’s not true. I like Fred singing but I think his acting wise he is not that great.
before the sing contest,who has ever thought that fred can sing like this,same here as above comment if you never tried you never know.
I think his custom made role will be in the Anthony Wong kung fu series. It can utilize his martial arts skills without having to carry a whole series by himself or being compared to the original actor if it’s a remake.
People who think that Fred can act are really delusional. If this dude can act, he wouldn’t be languishing in minor supporting roles thro out his whole career in Tvb. Admit it, how many of you even noticed him in any of those tvb dramas? He’s an insipid actor who can’t even make it to second or third lead, let alone main lead. He was almost always cast in very minor roles not even worthy of mention; in some dramas his screen time is limited to a few mins and a few lines. He shld thank Voices of the stars for the new lease of life on his show biz career and just stick to singing. Not everybody is cut out to be an actor nor is everyone cut out to be a singer.
your comment is very arrogant and ignorant at once,who say that actor with minor roles cant act.do you know how many green leaves had won a hk-movie award in the past? so do your homework first before discriminates ppl who you dislike haha.
@kolo
“so do your homework first before discriminates ppl who you dislike haha”
I did my homework that’s why i said that Fred should stick to singing. This dude has been in TVB since 2003 and no one even noticed him before that Voices program. Even Jason Chan who’s so bad at acting gets noticed though for the wrong reason. As for Fred, he’s so bland, boring and insipid that he just blends right into the wall or background, he just doesn’t have stage presence (in terms of acting). He has little or no acting ability otherwise why wld it take more than 10 years for him to get noticed in a SINGING (emphasis) show? Your brain must be made of cotton wool if you can’t even recognise that I’m in fact praising him by asking him to stick to what he does best ie as a singer. There’s no need for him to be Jack of all trades and master of none. Go figure!
he may not that handsome as louis koo or not that charismatic as andy lau but he has his charm.10 years acting and nobody notice him doesnt mean he cant act. i think he isnt that good but also not bad,i believe ppl can improve in time,look at wayne lai three times tv king,who has notice him as lead before rosy business? he played minor roles for more then 20 years,so nothing is impossible,the fact is that there have to be a director that can give him a chance, a tailor made role.i didnt said he must be the jack of all trades,but if a director wants to give him a chance to shine why not,even it wouldnt be a succes,he always can learn from it and improve his acting skill.
Rofl, I have noticed FRED CHENG since 2004 (ever since Forensic Heroes) and kept on a watch for his news.
You can also say the same thing with Nancy Wu who is also starting to get leading roles.
I wouldn’t say Fred Cheng can’t act yet. He was not amazing in acting as he was never given any heavy roles that could impress us yet. Now with his current status, fame, and good confidence and if he has a custom-made role, he may be able to showcase his best acting skills. We should wait and see. No need to argue.
hey, it’s your life, i can’t stop you peeps from daydreaming.
Com’on! It doesn’t take more than 10 years to discover someone’s acting potential. Big stars like Tony Leung, Andy Lau and many others all started out as extras or in small roles but it didn’t take them 10 years to get discovered! Either you have acting talent or you don’t, simple as that!
agree with sandcherry thats because fred was never given heavy roles that could impress us,thats very true.
Hey,
I really need some help. I was wondering if anyone could tell me who the actors are/what dramas this m/v is from.
I only recognize Wallace from the concubine drama with ruby and LYP from smiling wander:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=US5piV3_7Hs
I agree with Funn Lim; Fred will never be in the same league as Stephen Chow; it is Stephen’s brand/originality and no one can imitate that, hence thats why Stephen Chow’s Movies/TV dramas are classified as “classic” comedy.
An analogy: can you imagine someone remake Bruce Lee’s Enter the Dragon??? Or any Bruce Lee’s movies.
I personally think that his fans wouldn’t want to see him as a second “Stephen Chow” or anyone else’s footsteps.. I am a fan of his, but I want him to be himself, be true to himself, his values and his fans, not trying to overtake someone else’s shoes/positions.
Agree.
I really think that he might film a great and awsome tv film if he does the same actor from stephen chow
>.<
Yeah u are right he wouldn’t act the same thing and same action as stephen chow nd how would he do it well of pretending to be Stephen’s character
Yeah u are right sandcherry……………we should wait and see if it is good or not…………>.<
TVB just keeps failing to reinvent themselves.
I don’t think this news is even true so why get so hyped up about it?