Headlines from China: Chang Chen In Talks to Join Legendary’s ‘Dune’

Chang Chen In Talks to Join Legendary’s ‘Dune’

Taiwanese actor Chang Chen currently is in talks with Legendary Entertainment to join the cast of upcoming sci-fi film Dune, according to sources familiar with the matter. Other cast members of the film include Timothee Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, Zendaya, David Dastmalchian, Charlotte Rampling, Jason Momoa and Javier Bardem. Based on a 1966 novel from Frank Herbert, the film centers around the son of a noble family trying to avenge his father’s death while saving a spice planet that he is entrusted to protect. Chang Chen is best known for his performance in films by various top Asian filmmakers, including Edward Yang, Wong Kar-wai, Ang Lee, John Woo, and Hou Hsiao-hsien. He was on the jury of the 71st Cannes Film Festival. Read more on Mtime

China Box Office: ‘More than Blue’ Beats ‘Capital Marvel’

Taiwanese romance drama More than Blue had grossed RMB 330 million after four days in release, topping last week’s box office charts. The film only made near RMB 20 million on its opening day. It then quickly showed strong momentum and topped the daily box office charts for three consecutive days from Friday throughout the weekend. Based on the South Korean film of the same name, More than Blue was the highest-grossing local production of 2018 in Taiwan. The film may eventually overtake Out Times to become the highest-grossing Taiwanese film in mainland China. No.2 on the weekly list is Marvel’s superhero film Captain Marvel, which earned RMB28.9 million last week to total a RMB88.5 million cumulatively. Oscar winner Green Book came third with total earnings of RMB11 million last week. Read more on Mtime

French ‘Tall Tales from the Magical Garden of Antoon Krings’ Scores China Release

French animated feature Tall Tales from the Magical Garden of Antoon Krings has been scheduled for release in China on April 13, 2019. A Chinese trailer and a film poster have also been unveiled today. Based on French book series “Droles de petites betes” (“Funny Little Bugs”), the film follows Apollo, a vagabond cricket who is an artist, arrives at a secret garden and has an adventure with a group of little bugs there. Tall Tales from the Magical Garden of Antoon Krings was short-listed for the Best Animated Feature at the 91st Academy Awards. Read more on Sohu