Yes, there is another one! And whether you think it’s one too many or not, I guess the good news is that in spite of endless drama adaptations, movies based on Jin Yong’s Return of the Condor Heroes are actually few and far between. The last time it was seen on the big screen was in 1982 when the Shaw Brothers produced The Brave Archer and His Mate starring Alexander Fu Sheng, Philip Kwok and Gigi Wong.
News outlets have been reporting that the new movie will be directed by Tsui Hark with a screenplay written by Shi Nan Sun who is his longtime business partner and ex-wife. The two have had many collaborations in the past with a a recent one being the commercially successful Journey to the West 2.
Through a video message, Tsui Hark shared that he has been wanting to adapt Jin Yong wuxia novels since the 70’s, but the market and technology weren’t ready for it then. He was involved in The Swordsman movies that were based on The Smiling, Proud Wanderer in the 90’s, but wasn’t able to adapt the Condor Heroes due to copyright issues.
It looks like it’s now or never for Tsui Hark, and given how celebrated he is when it comes to Asian cinema specifically the action genre, it seems like a perfect fit. The movie will be produced by LeTV CEO Zhang Zhao.
Anonymous
I hope it's Return and not Legend that is being adapted into a movie, as RotCH is my favorite of the two.
BTW, did you all know that STAR WARS Episodes I-III drew inspiration from Condor Heroes? Young boy marries older woman. Where have we seen this before? Young boy lost his arm prior to getting married to said woman. Where have we seen this before?
Also, STAR WARS has a Giant Falcon spaceship. Condor Heroes has a Giant Condor. Big deal, they're both fearsome predatory birds.
The Force, didn't Jin Yong (Louis Cha) come up with this concept first?
I can go on and on, but that's enough for now…
tieuyeunu
If you are referring to the "chi" which is what wuxia novels refer to as internal energy then no. "Chi" has been around since daoism days, centuries already. Jing Yong did not invent any new concept, he just created great characters with compelling storywriting, which is a great feat already. Majority of the common tropes found in wuxia can be traced back to the original first few authors that founded the genre, a whole generation before Jin Yong.
Anonymous
Tieuyeunu,
although JY didn't 'come up' with the concept of chi, which dates back several thousand years, it is still his work ShenDiaoXiaLü which inspired the original Star Wars trilogy, so the Anonymous poster above does have a point.
Anne J
This revelation is just wow to me as a fan of both Star Wars and ROCH.. Just curious where you heard it, did George Lucas say it in an interview or something?