Tony Leung rivals head-on with Christian Bale
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One is the newest best supporting Oscar winner, the other a top Asian actor. Christian Bale and Tony Leung Chiu-wai: Who is more likely to attract you to the cinema?
That is a decision for movie-goers this Christmas season, when "The Great Magician", starring Leung, and "Nanjing Heroes", featuring Bale, meet face-to-face on China's screens.
Bona Film Group, which produces "The Great Magician", announced the film's release date is December 22, one week after the planned opening of "Nanjing Heroes".
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Actor Tony Leung Chiu-wai and actress Zhou Xun are seen in Derek Yee's period drama film, "The Great Magician". [ent.ifeng.com] |
"Positive confrontation will be inevitable," The Hollywood Reporter quoted Bona as saying, which noted that audiences may like to compare Leung's portrayal of a magician with Bale's from his 2006 role in "The Prestige".
Leung stars as Zhang Xian, the powerful prestidigitator living in the early 20th century. Zhou Xun plays his ex-lover.
Leung, one of the most sought-after actors in Asia, won the best actor award for "In the Mood for Love" at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival, as well as another best actor honor for "Lust, Caution" at the 2008 Asian Film Awards.
"The Great Magician" will see Leung's return after the 2008 historical epic, "Red Cliff".
Derek Yee, who directed the US$15-million "Magician", said in a statement from Bona, "this movie is not just the legendary story of magic, but also a fusion of fantasy, love and action and other elements."
The film also features Sean Lau Ching-wan and Yan Ni.
Christian Bale takes the lead role of an American priest working in China during World War Two in Zhang Yimou's "Nanjing Heroes". The film is about the priest's efforts to save local people from the Nanjing Massacre.
Bale scored a best supporting actor win at this year's Academy Awards for his role in "The Fighter".
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