Warner Bros makes first foray into Chinese-language film production
Liz Shackleton in Taipei 15 December 2002 21:00
http://www.screendaily.com/story.asp?storyid=10579

Warner Bros is making its first foray into Chinese-language film
production with an adaptation of best-selling illustrated love story,
Turn Left, Turn Right, to be written and directed by one of Hong
Kong's most successful filmmaking teams - Johnnie To and Wai Ka-fai.

Japanese heartthrob Takeshi Kaneshiro will star in the film along
with Hong Kong actress Gigi Leung. The pair previously starred
together in Sylvia Chang's romantic drama Tempting Heart while
Kaneshiro has credits including Wong Kar-wai's Fallen Angels and
Chungking Express.

Production on the film is scheduled to start in Taiwan on December 26
and will continue in Hong Kong and mainland China. To's production
outfit Milkyway Image and Singapore's Raintree Pictures will co-
produce.

Turn Left, Turn Right - written and illustrated by Taiwanese author
and artist Jimmy Liao - is the tale of a lonely man and woman who
live in the same apartment block, but never meet there because one
always turns left and the other right when they leave the building.
Eventually they meet in a park, but bad luck and meddling
acquaintances conspire to keep them apart.

To has produced a string of hits in Hong Kong since launching
Milkyway six years ago, including Needing You, Love On A Diet and,
more recently, My Left Eye Sees Ghosts. Turn Left, Turn Right marks
the first time the producer-director has worked with a US studio.

Announcing the deal, Warner executive vice president Richard Fox
said: "It is an honour to be working with such esteemed talents as
Johnnie To and Wai Ka-fai. We've long been fans of their work and
feel this film, which combines a property embraced by readers
throughout Asia with an excellent cast and extremely talented
directors with a passion for the material, is the perfect entry into
China's local-language film marketplace."

To said: "We're excited to be working with Warner Bros Pictures and
are confident this collaboration will reinvigorate the Chinese film
market and open up new possibilities for the Chinese film industry."

Warner Bros is the second US studio to enter Chinese-language film
production following Sony Pictures Entertainment which has produced
hits such as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and most recently
Taiwanese thriller Double Vision through its Hong Kong-based
production arm, Columbia Pictures Film Production Asia.

Warner is also involved in Chinese-language TV production through a
joint venture with two mainland companies - Century Hero and Hainan
White Horse Advertising Media Co - and Hong Kong's Salon Films to co-
produce 10 Mandarin-language television movies. The studio also
produces French and Italian language films and is planning to launch
a Spanish-language production outfit at the beginning of next year