Xiao Zhan As Guo Jing in Tsui Hark’s “Legend of the Condor Heroes”
It’s official – Sean Xiao Zhan (肖戰) and actress Sabrina Zhuang (庄达菲) are confirmed to be play titular characters Guo Jing and Huang Rong in director Tsui Hark’s (徐克) big-screen adaptation of wuxia classic, Legend of the Condor Heroes <射鵰英雄傳: 俠之大者>!
It was previously reported that actors Huang Jingyu (黃景瑜) and Zhou Ye (周也) will lead the movie to be executed by the reputable filmmaker.
On May 7, the production’s Weibo announced the casting in a post and released the movie poster, confirming to be an adaptation of literary giant Louis Cha (金庸)’s original work. To coincide with the 100th anniversary of the famed wuxia author, it will be set for a 2024 release, with filming slated to begin this year.
Sean Suited for Period Productions
Xiao Zhan, who has just wrapped Life in the Balance <驕陽伴我> in February, rose to fame in 2019 on the success of costume dramas The Untamed <陳情令> and Joy of Life <慶餘年>. Although he has done 3 film projects since debuting in 2016, it was only in 2019’s fantasy action film Jade Fantasy <誅仙I> that he was cast as male lead.
The strong commercial success of the film, which raked in 405 million yuan at the box office, also drew attention to the actor’s potential in costume productions, as viewers felt his looks gave him an edge in costume styling, and thought he delivered commendably well on fight scenes.
Who is Zhuang Dafei, the post-90s Actress Who Will Play Huang Rong?
Originally rumored to go to uprising actress Zhou Ye (周也), the role of Huang Rong has been announced as 22 year-old Sabrina Zhuang!
The Beijing Film Academy graduate was signed on to Jaywalk Studio – partly owned by Yang Mi (杨幂) – in 2018, but it was not until 2020’s Three Lives, Three Worlds, The Pillow Book <三生三世枕上书> that she truly came under the public glare. She later made viewers sit up with her performances in two web dramas, Closer to You <我的刺猬女孩> and I Don’t Want to Be Friends with You <我才不要和你做朋友呢>. Despite her young age, the dimpled actress has already been named Best Newcomer at Asia Contents Awards of the Asian Film Market 2019, and Best New Actress at the 2020 Golden Bud Network Film and Television Festival, according to her Jaywalk profile.
The wuxia blockbuster will tell the story of Genghis Khan-led Mongol soldiers and their invasion of the ethnic Han Song empire. In a landscape of various factions defending the Song, Guo Jing combines the mastery of the most powerful wuxia artists to salvage Xiangyang.
Source: UpMedia
I really hope Sabina makes a smart Huang Rong. Xiao Zhan is a competent actor…
She does not look smart :/ she looks like a hometown girl. Nothing wrong with it, but HR is an active, smarty pants, cheeky kinda person. One look and you should feel/know it. Anyway, lucky her or unlucky her, great opportunity and lol, she’s going to get nuked so hard by XZ’s fans
Huang Rong is one of the top 5 novel character I love… I am unsure Sabrina Zhuang can capture Huang Rong’s sparks.
Your comment on Xiao Zhan’s fan is so true!!! Some of his hardcore fans are just just toxic!!
She doesn’t look smart but she did well in Miss Litigator, I dropped it because TTEOM came out. Finding time to finish it. She is at least better than some so call A listers with thousands of doubles. Xiao Zhan has good looks but he also lacks martial art skills to play Wuxia, it’s just that all his male peers also happen to be very lacking of it so it makes him the better candidate.
@Freekyu Oh, you did reminded me of the drama…I downloaded it but have yet to watch it. I forgot all about it… Will have to search in my folder to watch it. Thanks!!! I wonder if I will complete it. I know of the lead actor in Dr. Cutie… Another that needs tons of homing to master his acting skills…
I’m so excited, happy for Xiao Zhan because he so derserves it. I’m looking forward to this movie. Jiayou Xiao Zhan always.
He’s too pretty for GJ :/ his face is more similar to Louis Koo, so acting as YG is more suitable. GJ needs to be cute and adorable like a panda lawl.
It sounds like this movie will be very focused on a specific part of the book. I hope it brings something new to the table. There’s been so many remakes of Jin Yong novels, most of which aren’t very good.
She was boring in the Pillow Book with average acting, maybe it was the role and her acting has improved now. Can’t say I like the cast but will wait till the trailers first. Can’t remember any good movie adaptions of Jinyong’s.
Xiao Zhan have big fan base, but his acting is average… i never finish any dramas with him… What wrong with those HK directors? The casting is bad
Omo surprised you haven’t been sliced and diced by XZ maniac commenters lol. Goes to show that maybe Jayne’s audience is more mature than the general swamps commenters on other sites
@Coralie Funny enough, I thought the same too!! I am glad @WTH is not trashed for expressing a opinion by Xiao Zhan fans…. It is so tiring to read those online fights from fans of YangMi/Zhao Liying/Dilraba/YangZi etc….
practically all fandoms are a nasty and abusive bunch who resort to vicious words ‘protecting’ their own idols by slandering perceived rivals. The worst and longest cyberbullying campaign had to have been the financed campaign against XZ. Those maniacs still haven’t given up denigrating him.
Whatever you may think of XZ’s acting, he certainly won over a huge foreign fanbase as WeiWuxian.
Yeah he cemented himself, and so did Wang Yibo. But problem is, WYB can’t really act and yet he got tons of accolades. Sometimes being there at the right time and place and script makes all the difference. I tried watching The Untamed and I did finish Doulou Continent – still didn’t find his acting impressive, but at least the script is watchable. People make a big fuss about him and WYB because they broke BL ground.
I am aware this is a BL theme novel, I read the novel, and read the original version without the censorship…
However, Untamed the drama gives me the vibe of 2 very good friends then lovers. Wang Yibo and Xiao Zhan were paired well and without Xiao Zhan energy and relaxed nature, Wang Yibo as a actor will be 100% flat. At least, I can see their friendship in the drama. Really no BL vibe at all… I just watch this drama as 2 guys who met and got to know each other along with other friends. I am just glad it was not another romance drama. I watched drama till the end…but I skipped lots of boring parts.
All the BL vibes are either fans creation or managed by the production PR team.
There was a fairly explicit BL film starring Liu Ye and Hu Jun from two decades ago, and another BL drama with Johnny Huang and Timmy Xu where intimate scenes were on display. Zhu Yilong and Bai Yu’s BL “The Guardian” was popular, but none became as sensational as The Untamed. WYB wouldn’t been able to carry the drama without XZ’s charisma and acting rubbing off on him. I’ll likely get hate from his fans for saying this, but all his subsequent roles depended on popular and accomplished senior actors/actresses as co-stars. He also has strong backing from his management company for which he is now a major shareholder.
@Hohliu really? I got major BL vibes from the untamed. Remember the part where XZ took off WYB’s head ribbon and WYB was like that’s for my future partner, and XZ teased him and was like that’s mine now or something of that nature. I don’t get BL vibes from just friends, like JTTW and other bromance dramas
@Coralie Lol, I went thru a phase of watching lots of BL dramas, mostly Thai Lakorns, and some Korean and Japanese ones too. The Japanese filmed a few really superb BL collections. ..It was a 6 month phrase.. And I can really feel the strong vibes from many good BL dramas, some are just electrifying.
Thus when I watch Untamed, I really did not feel vibes…maybe some actioned to try to push the theme a little like the scenes you mentioned. But the both leads eyes do not give me the note of love. Just very good or comfortable friendship. Similar to me and my best girlfriend…
But it is just for me… I know many Untamed fans disagree with me. I went to read the unedited novel- now that is really undoubtingly BL… Too X-Rated even for me.
@msxie0714 I watched Lan Yu (film) years ago… Leslie Cheung was one of the best BL actor I have seen too. But for novices or newbies actors, Xiao Zhan and Wang Yibo really do not even touch first base… Johnny Huang and Timmy Xu pairing was much better.
I don’t get the criticisms about wang yibo in the untamed. He was excellent. The entire drama cant be bl to escape censorship but it is filmed as bl and some scenes are bl such as proposal, affection etc which shows you don’t need skinship to show intimacy. That’s what makes the untamed so successful.
I’ve read the novels. Both are miscast. Xiao zhan should be yang kang and the actress doesn’t scream beautiful, smart. Honestly that’s why tvb Felix wong version is still the gold standard.