Aaron Kwok, Tony Leung to co-star for first time in thriller
HONG KONG: Two of Hong Kong’s biggest stars will appear together for the first time in ‘ Theory of Ambitions’, a bigbudget action film from Mei Ah Entertainment Group.
Aaron Kwok (‘Cold War’) and Tony Leung Chiu-wai (‘ The Grandmasters’, ‘In the Mood for Love’) will play the roles of two top cops in the US$ 38 million production directed by Philip Yung (‘ Port of Call’). Set in the early 1960s Hong Kong and based on true stories, the film follows the rivalries of two ambitious Chinese cops who rose to the top of the ladder during colonial times.
Speaking at FilMart on Monday, Kwok said the film brought him and Leung together for the first time since the two had a brief encounter while they were working at TVB. Kwok said he was working on sitcom ‘Everybody’s Somebody’s Favourite’ in 1988, and that Leung appeared as a guest star, in a single scene. Leung said he had no memory of that.
Kwok said the film will tell the stories of not only two of Hong Kong’s most famous cops, but also recreate the settings of Hong Kong in the 1960s. Kwok and director Yung worked together on ‘ Port of Call’, which earned Kwok his first Hong Kong Film Award as best actor.
Other titles in Mei Ah’s lineup include US$ 45 million action thriller ‘Europe Raiders’, a sequel to action series ‘Seoul Raiders’ and ‘ Tokyo Raiders’ which also starred Leung, and romantic drama ‘ Untitled’ directed by Cheng Hsiao-tse (‘ Miao Miao’) and starring Chang Chen. The company is also investing in first-time directors with comingof-age drama ‘New Turn’ by Doris Wong and Michael Sit’s ‘Keyboard Warriors’.