Taiwan actor Eddie Peng will play the Chinese folk hero Wong Fei Hung in the upcoming film in “Rise of the Legend”, the first Chinese film in almost two decades to feature the character.
BEIJING: “Unbeatable” star Eddie Peng will follow in the footsteps of action heroes Jet Li as well as Vincent Chiu and play the Chinese folk hero Wong Fei Hung in the upcoming film “Rise of the Legend”, reported Chinese media.
The 31-year-old actor has been hard at work preparing for the role recently, training ten hours a day under a martial arts master in the sweltering heat, to make sure he does the character justice.
Peng acknowledged that he has some big shoes to fill but was not too concerned about it.
“Every time a new version [of Wong Fei Hung] comes out, people will naturally compare it with the previous versions. I am not afraid,” Peng told Chinese media.
He added that Li’s portrayal of Wong was simply “classic” and that he has “no intention of surpassing it”.
“I just want to do my own thing,” said Peng.
Helmed by Hong Kong director Roy Chow, the 130 million yuan (S$27 million) “Rise of the Legend”, which also stars Hong Kong model-actress Angelababy, is the first Chinese film in almost two decades to feature the character Wong Fei Hung.
Wong Fei Hung has become a household name following the success of Hong Kong director Tsui Hark’s “Once Upon a Time in China” action-comedy film series in the 90s, which showcases the character’s heroic exploits.
– CNA/ha
