Directors gathered at the press conference. [Photo: news.cn]
A star-studded press conference was held on April 22 in Beijing, during which Wang Zhongjun, the President of China's leading film production company Huayi Brothers, and Wang Zhonglei, CEO of Huayi Brothers, announced their new projects, which form what is being referred to as "H Plan", xinhuanet.com reports.
Directors Feng Xiaogang, Tusi Hark, Chen Guofu, Stephen Fung, Wu Ershan, Doze Niu, Pang Ho-cheung and Teng Huatao were also present at the press conference. According to Wang Zhongjun, Huayi Bros. is eyeing a box office return of 2 to 2.5 billion RMB after taking 1.6 billion RMB in 2011. Six new projects will be released in 2012, including Feng Xiaogang's epic film "Wen Gu 1942," Yang Ya-che's romance "Girlfriend, Boyfriend," Ronny Yu's costume war film "Saving General Yang," Stephen Fung's Kung Fu movie "Taichi 0," Wu Ershan's fantasy flick "Painted Skin 2" and Jackie Chan's action film "CZ 12."
Wang Zhongjun admitted that the Chinese film market is still dominated by Hollywood blockbusters due to their appealing storylines and fantastic visual effects. However, Wang expects the "H Plan" to mark a turning point for the industry.
Eight other projects were also announced at the event, representing Huayi Bros' blockbusters for 2013. In 2013, the famous director Feng Xiaogang will return to the silver screen with a comedy named "Si Ren Ding Zhi (Private Reservation)." Feng said with confidence at the press conference that the movie will be able to compete with any Hollywood blockbusters.
Tsui Hark is set to continue the success of "Detective Lee," producing a prequel to the original "Detective Lee" movie. Doze Niu, Stephen Fung, Pang Ho-cheung, Teng Huatao and Wu Ershan will also launch their new productions that will be produced by Huayi Bros in 2013.