Ip Man 2 ( ) is an upcoming 2010
semi-biographical martial arts film directed by
Wilson Yip, from a screenplay written by Edmond
Wong. It is a
sequel to the 2008 film
Ip Man, and the second
feature film overall to be based on the life of
Ip Man. The film stars
Donnie
Yen, who reprises the lead role and features
martial arts choreography by
Sammo Hung, who appears in a supporting role.
Continuing
after the events of the first film, the sequel centers on Ip's
migration in Hong
Kong
. He attempts to propagate his discipline of
Wing Chun martial arts and faces rivalry
with the local master of
Hung Ga martial
arts.
Ip Man 2 will also focus on a young
Bruce Lee, who would later become one of Ip Man's
most famed disciples.
A sequel to
Ip Man was first announced by producer
Raymond Wong, prior to the
first film's theatrical release in December 2008. Having not yet
finalized negotiations with Bruce Lee descendants on the rights to
portray Lee as an adult, the filmmakers agreed to make a film
focusing on a younger version of Lee. Wilson Yip and Donnie Yen
conducted a worldwide
casting
call to find a suitable candidate to portray Lee at the age of
10. Among the 1300
Mainland Chinese
actors auditioning for the role, 10-year-old Jiang Dai Yan was
announced to be portraying Lee in August 2009.
Principal photography for
Ip Man
2 began in August 2009 and ended in November; filming took
place on a
sound stage inside a studio
located in
Shanghai.
Ip Man 2 is currently in post-production and scheduled for
a summer 2010 theatrical release in Hong Kong.
Plot
Ip Man 2 continues Ip Man's story, focusing on his
migration to Hong Kong and his attempts to propagate Wing Chun in
the region. The film will also focus on a young
Bruce Lee, prior to becoming one of Ip Man's most
famed disciples.
Production
Ip Man 2 is the second feature film overall to be based on
the life of
Ip Man, following the first film
Ip Man. The sequel is also
the fifth film collaboration between director
Wilson Yip and actor
Donnie
Yen.
Ip Man 2 was produced by
Raymond Wong, and will be distributed
by his company
Mandarin Films upon its
theatrical release in Hong Kong. Wong's son, Edmond Wong, returned
to write the screenplay. Apart from appearing in a supporting role
for the sequel,
Sammo Hung reprised his
role as the film's
fight
choreographer.
Development
Prior to
Ip Man's theatrical release in December 2008, a
sequel for the film was announced by producer Raymond Wong. In
March 2009, Wong announced that the
Bruce
Lee character might not appear in the sequel, as producers had
not fully finalized negotiations with Bruce Lee descendants on the
rights. In July 2009, it was announced that
Ip Man 2 would
focus on a young Bruce Lee, prior to Lee becoming Ip Man's most
famed disciple.
Casting
Ip Man 2 sees several cast members from the first film
reprising their respective roles. Donnie Yen reprises his role as
the film's titular protagonist; Lynn Hung reprises her role as Wing
Cheng, Ip Man's wife. Hung announced that her character would be
pregnant throughout the film. To prepare for her role in the film,
Hung asked producers for a 10-pound prosthetic belly to capture the
feeling of being a pregnant woman.
Lam Ka-Tung reprises his role as Li
Zhao, Ip Man's friend who is enlisted as a police officer upon his
arrival in Hong Kong;
Fan
Siu-Wong reprises his role as Jin Shanzhao, Ip Man's aggressive
rival in the first film. In the sequel, Jin turns over a new leaf
and retires from the martial arts world. He attempts to become an
ordinary citizen, and make friends with Ip Man.
Sammo Hung was announced to be appearing
as part of the cast in April 2009. Hung will appear as Hung Jan
Nam, a master of
Hung Ga which is a
southern Chinese martial art.
In August 2009, it was announced that
Huang Xiaoming would be playing Huang Jin, a
supporting character based on
Wong Shun
Leung, one of Ip Man's disciples and the person responsible for
mentoring Bruce Lee. Former child star Shi Xiao Long was also
announced to be a part of the supporting cast, also playing a
disciple.
Yen and Wilson Yip, reportedly conducted a worldwide
casting call for a suitable
candidate to play Lee, who is Ip Man's most celebrated disciple.
The film will portray Lee at the age of 10. Yip and Yen debated
over whether to look for an actor with solid martial arts
foundation or looks.
Among the 1300 Mainland Chinese candidates
auditioning for the role, Yip narrowed the casting call down to two
possible candidates: 10-year-old Jiang Dai Yan from Henan
and
12-year-old Pan Run Kang from Heilongjiang
. On 10 August 2009, it was announced that
Jiang Dai Yan would be playing the role of a 10-year-old Bruce Lee.
Ip Man's Legend as a Grandmaster in Hong Kong -
Wu-Jing.org
In November 2008, Yip revealed that there would be another martial
arts exponent in the film, explaining that the actor has been a fan
of Donnie Yen. With no intention of revealing who he is and what
role he plays in the film, Yip commented, "I can only say that he
fights even more vehemently than Sammo Hung."
Writing
The screenplay was written by Edmond Wong, the son of producer
Raymond Wong and writer of the first film. Yip announced that
Ip Man 2 will be a much better film than the previous
film, in terms of characterization and storyline. The film will
focus on disputes between the disciples of Hung Ga and Wing Chun
martial arts, as well as the conflict and rivalry of the two
practitioners. Wing Chun, as taught by Ip Man, is being viewed as a
martial art meant only for girls; Hung Ga, as taught by Hung Jan
Nam, is being seen as a macho form of
boxing.
Of the two characters, Yip commented, "Sammo Hung's character is
not exactly villainous, but he's very overbearing, just like his
torrential Hung Ga. In contrast, Ip Man is very unassuming, much
like his fist." Yip also stated the film will have some moments of
"family drama", such as the ongoing conflict between Ip Man and his
wife Wing Cheng.
Filming
Prior to
filming, a production ceremony for Ip Man 2 was held in
Foshan
, receiving plenty of coverage from the
media. Principal
photography began on 11 August 2009; filming took place at a
sound stage in Songjiang Studios located
in
Shanghai. On 28 October 2009, reporters
were invited to the set to view the anticipated duel between Donnie
Yen and Sammo Hung as it was being filmed. Filming ended on 8
November 2009.
Martial arts choreography
The film's martial arts sequences were choreographed by Sammo Hung,
who also worked on the choreography for the first film. Prior to
principal photography, Hung had undergone a major
heart surgery. When he returned to the set,
his dramatic scenes in the film were filmed first, with his fight
sequences being filmed last. After the completion of filming, Hung
expressed that he was unsatisfied with the fight sequences
involving his character, presumably due to his heart condition. He
also stated that he plans to challenge Yen in a future film:
"Although I'm the martial arts choreographer, our moves were all
rather regulated, being confined by the script. So, I made a pact
with Donnie Yen to have a rematch next year if the opportunity
arises."
Huang Xiaoming prepared for his role by learning Wing Chun martial
arts. He turned his hotel room into a gym, practicing with
weights and a
wooden
dummy. Huang received multiple bruises on his arms, due to his
frequent practices on the dummy. Huang would also spend time
practicing with the film's stunt team. Wilson Yip praised his
performance in the film, stating that Huang "may not be a martial
artist, but he specially ordered a wooden dummy, and trained daily
at home. In the end, he is doing the action scenes better than
Hiroyuki Ikeuchi in the first
film."
Title
The chinese title of the film ( ), literally means
Ip Man 2:
Legend of a Grandmaster. The title is a play on the first
film's working title which was
Grandmaster Ip Man, a title
that was changed when
Wong Kar-wai
clashed with producers, while trying to make his own Ip Man biopic.
Wilson Yip explained that the title of the film as being purely
coincidental rather than intentional: "The sequel is about Ip Man
being elevated from a master, a hero to a grandmaster, so we have
'grandmaster' in the title."
See also
References
- Twitch - IP MAN Sequel Gets The Green
Light!
- Three Yip Man Biopics to Commence Filming Soon -
Wu-Jing.org
- Ip Man 2 May Still Focus on... Ip Man -
Wu-Jing.org
- Sammo Hung Steps in Front of the Silver Screen To
Challenge Donnie Yen in Ip Man 2 - Wu-Jing.org
- HKSAR Film No Top 10 Box Office: [2009.08.12
DONNIE YEN TAKES THREE DISCIPLES IN FOSHAN]
- Sammo Hung Steps in Front of the Silver Screen To
Challenge Donnie Yen in Ip Man 2 - Wu-Jing.org
- Ip Man 2: Sammo Hung Vs Donnie Yen Round 2 -
Wu-Jing.org
- Ip Man 2 Looks Poised to Better the Original -
Wu-Jing.org
- Ip Man Sequel In Works - Wu-Jing.org
- Sammo Hung Wants Another Bout with Donnie Yen -
Wu-Jing.org
- HKSAR Film No Top 10 Box Office: [2009.11.06
HUANG XIAOMING STUDIES WING TSUN TO PLAY WONG CHUN]
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