INTERVIEW
WITH EKIN CHENG
20 July 2009 | 2100 HRS GV Vivo
It’s
been an 11-year wait for fans of “The Storm Raiders”
but that wait is about to be over- in 150 days to be
exact. Come 17 December, the sequel to the 1998 comic
book adaptation will open in cinemas islandwide. And
to further stoke your appetite for some “Wind”
and “Cloud” action, the man behind the “Wind”
swung into town to officiate the countdown to the opening
of “The Storm Warriors”.
Unveiling the replicas of the two famous swords used
by “Wind” and “Cloud” respectively,
Hong Kong actor Ekin Cheng unleashed a fever wave of
anticipation amongst many fans who had gathered at the
GV Vivocity foyer to witness this event. But the excitement
actually began much earlier for Ekin Cheng when he was
told that he would finally get the chance to reprise
what is arguably one of the most successful roles of
his career.
“Right after shooting “The Storm Raiders”
back in 1998, I was already excited to shoot a second
movie. But five years later, we still could not find
the money to do it so the chance of doing a sequel became
slimmer and slimmer,” said Ekin Cheng. “Naturally,
I was very excited when the producers came to me in
2008 and said yes we’re going ahead to do part
two.”
Despite the hiatus, Ekin Cheng reassures fans that the
character of “Wind” continues to be faithful
to the original film- and also true to the spirit of
the comic book. But what’s different, he said,
is that this time round, “Cloud” is the
one who finds himself having to save his fellow discipline,
“Wind”. While much of the plot details of
“The Storm Warriors” remain under wraps,
Ekin Cheng revealed that “Wind” does turn
to the dark side in a desperate attempt to defeat their
common enemy, Lord Godless.
The sequel sees Ekin Cheng joined by a fresh new supporting
cast including Nicholas Tse, Charlene Choi and Simon
Yam; but one familiar face he was glad to share the
screen with again was his co-star Aaron Kwok, who reprises
his role as “Cloud”.
“I think we really got to know each other much
better while filming this movie in Thailand,”
Ekin Cheng said. “We were staying in the same
hotel, and having meals together, so we actually spent
a great deal more time interacting with each other.
And I think audiences will realise that there is a lot
more camaraderie between us when they see us on screen
too.”
Besides this reunion with Aaron Kwok, fans of the actor
will also be glad to know that Ekin Cheng will be reprising
another similarly memorable on-screen pairing from the
late 1990s. Indeed, Ekin Cheng will once again team
up with his “Young and Dangerous” co-star
Jordan Chan to film a triad movie that he describes
as a dark comedy quite different in style and mood from
the Chan Ho-Nam movies he is wildly famous for.
To comic book fans, it is no secret that Ekin Cheng’s
most famous roles- both in “Young and Dangerous”
and “The Storm Raiders”- hailed from the
world of comics. The actor himself also readily professes
his liking for playing comic book characters.
“I’ve always loved making movies adapted
from comic books, but of course these few years, the
movies I’ve been making have mostly been very
realistic in nature. Not that I don’t like them,
but given a choice, I would still choose to act in comic
book-based films,” he said.
But Ekin Cheng is also very candid to admit that it
is getting more and more difficult to film such movies
in Hong Kong. In fact, he calls it “a miracle”
that “The Storm Warriors” actually got the
go-ahead- and after so many years no less. His hope
is that audiences will catch it not once, but several
times, so it can be an even bigger hit than its predecessor
at the box office and perhaps revive the market for
comic book adaptations.
Going by the ecstatic reaction from fans gathered there
to catch a glimpse of their real-life comic book hero,
it’s a pretty good bet “The Storm Warriors”
will enjoy the box-office success Ekin Cheng is crossing
his fingers for.
The Storm Warriors opens 17 December 2009
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