2003 News                        

12/29/03 - Anita Mui has passed away
It is with great sadness that we inform everyone that Anita Mui, Michelle's friend and costar, passed away this morning in Hong Kong at the age of 40.  As many of you know, Anita has been battling cervical cancer.  Please join us in passing our condolences to Anita's family and friends, most especially Michelle.  Anita will be greatly missed by all of us.

10/7/03 - International Distribution Rights for Silver Hawk Signed
Han Entertainment announced that final financing for Silver Hawk and global distribution rights for the film were set.  Darklight, commercial films distribution subsidiary of Austrailian film production company Arclight, will distribute Silver Hawk.  Media Asia will distribute the film to Hong Kong, mainland China, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan.  Bey Logan, Arclight's representative in Hong Kong, said the company was happy to support such a high quality Asian film."  Release of the film is currently expected to be around the Lunar New Year.

9/30/03 - Michelle participated in the 4th annual World Heart Day walkathon this Sunday.  Michelle is a Goodwill Ambassador for the charity event, which is held on the last Sunday of September each year, and the theme this year was "A Woman's Heart."  Find pictures of Michelle at the event in the New Gallery .

9/26/03 - Michelle attended the screening of Internal Affairs II, the last of the FILMART (Hong Kong International Film and TV Market) 3 day film schedule (go to New Gallery for pics).  She, along with Chow Yun-Fat, Jackie Chan, Andy Lau, Maggie Cheung, Sammi Cheng and others were voted by Buyers to be the Top 10 Most Desirable Hong Kong Actors and Actresses.

9/5/03 - Anita Mui, buddy of Michelle and one of Hong Kong's top singers, announced on Friday to the press that she has been found to have possible cervical cancer, though she stated it was benign.  She was joined by 20 fellow film and music stars, including Michelle and Jackie Chan.  Michelle, Anita and Maggie Cheung starred in Heroic Trio and The Executioners.  We here at the MYC send our best wishes to Anita Mui.  Best of luck to you Anita!  And stay healthy Michelle!

8/6/03 - HAPPY BIRTHDAY MICHELLE!

8/5/03 - Michelle returned to Hong Kong today after finishing the shoot for Silver Hawk.  Post production for the film begins.

6/21/03 - It is possible that Chow Yun-Fat may not be able to star as the general in Hua Mulan .  This could happen because of the delay in the start of filming, which took place because pre-production and set construction were delayed due to SARS.

6/20/03 - There are now going to be four, yes four, Mulan movies.  Not only will there be Michelle's Hua Mulan, Stanley Tong's The Legend of Mulan , and the Korean production (currently titled Mulan , but likely to be changed), Disney is planning Mulan II.

6/10/03 -
 - There was a serious injury on the Silver Hawk Hawk set, but it wasn't Michelle or any of the actors - it was the director, Jingle Ma.  Apparently, just after a shot on a soccer field, Jingle Ma ran to  see the shot, but, sick and with a fever, miscalculated and hit eh corner of a board near the camera lens..  He cut one corner of his eye, but was willing to continue the shoot, but Thomas Cheung, the producer, took him to the hospital.  He had a cut on his cornea, but it won't threaten his eyesight (a centimeter lower and it would have).  Jingle Ma is back on the set with a patch over his eye, and filming is back on schedule.

6/4/03 -
 - A South China Morning Post article about the Silver Hawk shoot  in Shanghai.  Michelle's got a sore back and a sprained wrist, but she's fine now.  Also, the shoot for Hua Mulan is likely to start in February and not August due to delays forced by SARS.

5/28/03 -
 - HK Entertainment in Review polls finished, but you can still check them out.

 5/21/03 -
 - Hollywood Reporter article about Silver Hawk.

 5/14/03 -
 - After some question that Hong Kong companies would go, several film companies have arrived in Cannes, including Han.  Thomas Chung and a contingent from Han have arrived in Cannes to promote Silver Hawk and the upcoming Mulan and JiangShi .  The Cannes Film Festival starts today and lasts through the week.  Also, it has been confirmed that Chow Yun-Fat  will star as General Li opposite Michelle in Hua Mulan .  

 5/8/03 -
 - In a telephone interview, Liu Er-Dong, line producer for Hua Mulan , said that location scouting for the movie was completed.  However, he added that it is probable that filming would be delayed until China gets SARS under control.

5/5/03 -
 - News has finally been given about the motorcycle jump.  Thomas Chung  held a phone interview with reporters and said that they did the jump in one take.  Michelle's fear of heights shrank when she got on the motorcycle, and she went ahead and made the jump.  He said that he certainly admired her for her courage.  The scene will be at the beginning of the film.  On a side note, if you watch Tomb Raider II, you will see a scene of Angelina Jolie doing a jump off the Great Wall.  However, producers were unable to get permission from the government, so the scene was shot in England and used CGI  to help make it look like the real thing.

4/22/03 -
 - Good news from the set.  So far, no one  on the Silver Hawk team has caught SARS.  Reportedly, they have finished filming in Beijing (including the motorcycle jump), and have switched to Shanghai.  However, if conditions deteriorate, they may go to Japan earlier than anticipated.  However, JiangShi is being affected by the SARS outbreak.  Makeup crew from the States are refusing to fly to Beijing, so filming might be delayed.

4/17/03 -
 - Turns out that they shot a sequence with a young panda cub yesterday.  During some shots, the panda cub was cooperative and got shots in single takes, and at other times it took several takes.

4/16/03 -
 - No word on Michelle's big motorcycle jump yet.  However, she was seen yesterday in Sichuan with Jingle Ma.  Sichuan is the home of the Panda, and reportedly there will be a sequence in Silver Hawk involving a Panda.  Also, Tim Yip came back from northwest China.  He'd been involved in  participating in the location scouting for Mulan.  He said that he is working on Michelle's armor and that for Chow Yun-Fat (also known as Li Mu Bai from CTHD).  So, even though there's been no official word, it seems that Chow is indeed the male lead for Hua Mulan.  After Mulan is complete, Yip will switch to the CTHD prequel.

 4/7/03 -
 - Masked Crusader has changed it's title to Silver Hawk .

4/4/03 -
 - Michelle's Great Wall jump will be moved from the current location, a tourist attraction, to another site in Hebei Province which is apparently just as good.  There's so much interest that HK newspapers and entertainment rags have sent reporters to Beijing to cover it and get pictures.  Don't give them anything but your best Michelle!

 4/3/03 -
 - Leslie Cheung, one of Michelle's Moonlight Express costars, comitted suicide a couple of days ago.  He was 46 years old.  The MYOFC extend its condolences and best wishes to Michelle and his friends and family in this time of sadness.

3/27/03 -
- Masked Crusader begins filming today.  Yesterday, they held a press conference in Beijing  with Jingla Ma and Richie Ren.  In the film, Michelle will perform a motorcycle jump over the Great Wall., the first time  a woman has been allowed to do the stunt.  She's spent two months practicing, and Jingle Ma said that she won't be doing the stunt until the stuntmen think it is safe enough and Michelle feels she is ready for it.  In addition to Michelle and Richie Ren, other stars in the film are Luke Goss (Blade II; he plays the villain), Michael Jai White (Matrix Reloaded), Korean idol BoA and Chinese actress Bai Ling-ling.  Finally, Media Asia has signed on to be the distributor for China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia and Singapore.

3/24/03 -
- Michelle returned from Japan on Saturday, where she was preparing for Masked Crusader , to take part in a golf charity event held by Josephine Siao for Siao's Child Protection Fund charity in Hong Kong.  Filming for Masked Crusader will begin later this week, with an opening lens ceremony in Beijing..  Michelle agreed without hesitation to come, and opened the game.  The event netted 6 figures in donations.

3/19/03 -
 - Ubi Soft Entertainment announced today that the Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon video game, initially for the PS2, will be released in August 2003!  Now I really do have a reason to go buy a PS2!

3/12/03 -
 - Sorry for the long lack of updates, but my system is finally is finally back to normal.  Find below the latest updates.

 2/28/03 -
 - Masked Crusader Website is up!  No message board yet, but background on the story, characters and production are there.  Christmas 2003!

 2/23/03 -
 - Possible success at the American Film Market.  Reportedly, as many as 4 studios are seeking world distribution rights to Masked Crusader .

 2/19/03 -
 - Michelle will be attending the American Film Market in Los Angeles, which runs from the 19th through the 27th, and will be promoting Masked Crusader and seeking presales of Crusader, Hua Mulan and JiangShi .