Wong Fei Hung is a Chinese folk hero widely recognized in pop culture because of Tsui Hark's Once Upon A Time franchise starring Jet Li. It has become a film synonymous to the martial arts genre and an icon in HK cinema that even the first few beats of the theme song can ignite serious bouts of nostalgia.
A drama version 国士无双黄飞鸿 is currently filming in Hengdian World Studios and it will star Ryan Zheng and Haden Kuo. I have never heard of either of them before so I'll simply judge the book by its cover to say that at the very least, they seem to have it down in the looks department.
Ryan Zheng stars in the titular role of Wong Fei Hung who starts out a simple man with simple ideals. Adhering to his father's teachings, he vows to protect the people that he cares about and soon realizes that his passion extends to the people of China.
Taiwanese-American Haden Kuo stars as Thirteenth Aunt and her Eurasian look resembles that of Rosamund Kwan from the earlier Jet Li films. Thirteenth Aunt is investigating her father's death yet she becomes conflicted when all clues lead back to Wong Fei Hung. But come on, he can't possibly be the culprit.
Wu Li Peng who shot to fame as the Third Prince from Legend of Zhen Huan is also cast as Bucktooth So, making for a very dapper bucktooth.
Wong Fei Hung is a bold attempt to adapt a classic film and sorry for being Debbie Downer but I just hope it doesn't suck. Expected release date is in 2017.
