Thespian Tony Leung Chiu-wai has three productions in the pipeline: a film to be directed by Johnnie To, a separate India-set project and a six-or-seven-episode streaming series in which he will play a serial killer.
The Hong Kong screen legend disclosed the projects while speaking to Variety ahead of his role as jury president of the 28th Shanghai International Film Festival.
The To project is awaiting a completed script. The India film is unlikely to shoot this year due to the monsoon season, which runs through September. The serial killer series is currently in script fine-tuning and will confirm its shooting schedule once Leung’s jury duties in Shanghai conclude. Further details of the three projects are under wraps at the moment.
“It is a pleasure and a great honor,” Leung says of the jury role. “I recall participating in the Shanghai IFF many years ago, though the exact year escapes me. Now it is the 28th edition, it must have evolved significantly compared to the past, so I am very eager to visit and experience it firsthand.”
Having previously sat on the jury of the 64th Berlinale and chaired the jury of the 37th Tokyo Film Festival, Leung is approaching Shanghai’s Golden Goblet lineup fresh. “This time, I don’t know anyone in the main competition, so I’m actually hoping for a few more pleasant surprises,” he says. “In my experience, if every jury member spends 15 minutes discussing each film right after watching it, making the final decision will become much faster.”
