New Hong Lou Meng/Dream of the Red Chamber 2007-2008

[owbjhx]

On 28th January, director Li Shaohong finally brought an end to the saga of casting HLM's two leading ladies; she announced that Yao Di will indeed play Daiyu, and that the role of Baochai would go to Bai Bing:



Li Xudan, disappointed, walked out of the production overnight, intending to resume her career in opera.

As for other roles, Li Shaohong named the senior actresses she has in mind for Jia Mu, Lady Wang and Granny Liu, and is apparently holding talks with Zhao Ke to play Xiangyun. For certain other roles - e.g. Xifeng, Jia Lian, Yuanchun - she mentioned she plans to cast a few starrier types. Fans on the internet have apparently voted for the likes of Fan Bingbing or Chen Hao as Xifeng, and "Lust, Caution" star Tang Wei as Qin Keqing:



Li Shaohong was reticent on the Xifeng suggestions, but is interested in the Tang Wei idea (which would, in any case, be a cameo).

Still no news on Baoyu as yet.

[LiYuanZhi]

I was waiting for someone to resurrect this thread...

Li Shao Hong was interested for Tang Wei to play Qin Ke Qing (one of the Jing Ling Shi Er Chai), but who should only have a couple of episodes.

She's also interested in Zhao Ke (who plays Xing Er in Da Qing Hou Gong) to pay Shi Xiang Yun. Personally, I think it's a pretty bad choice, but I realize it may have to do with my image of Zhao Ke being like Xing Er, who was evil and annoying in Da Qing Hou Gong.

Yao Di, former first place in the "Bao Chai" auditions, now will, in an interesting twist, be playing Dai Yu. Yao Di's second preference was Dai Yu, and she has played Dai Yu before in yue ju (opera).

Pictures:





(Five of the top eight "Bao Chai"; Yao Di is in the top left corner)

[vivy17]

OMG the guys all look so gay. and their colorful pink and blue costumes don't help either. so YUCKY!!!

[LiYuanZhi]

erm... have you read Hong Lou Meng? Because Jia Bao Yu is pretty much bisexual...

[ChineseChik525]

liu yi fei would make a great lin dai yu. shes definately pretty enough, and i think her actings just fine i wish...

[sunnysnow]

Yang Mi was recently spotted attending training classes for the cast of Li Shaohong's new adaptation of "Dreams of the Red Chamber" (Hong Lou Meng). According to her manager, Yang Mi will be taking part in filming but she does not know which character she'll play yet.

http://ent.qq.com/a/20080228/000032.htm
http://ent.cn.yahoo.com/08-02-/396/29oek.html

[XWingSuki]

erm... have you read Hong Lou Meng? Because Jia Bao Yu is pretty much bisexual...

Bisexual as in he likes both sexes or he looks like both male and female? My "brother" calls the latter "bi-shounen". Shounen means boy. Reminds me of a time I went for some religious event then there was this really tall girl/boy, think it was a girl though, she had short hair which made her look like a boy slightly, kinda long slightly like Zhi Shu in ISWAK1, and then she had an earring on one ear. Difficult to tell, even my niece had problems.

liu yi fei would make a great lin dai yu. shes definately pretty enough, and i think her actings just fine i wish...

Too bad there aren't many on SPCNet thinking her acting is great, mostly she plays those 1-D or 2-D characters like Wang Yuyan of DGSD and Little Dragon Girl of Condor Heroes, where Dragon Girl didn't have much character development coz she was born and bred in isolation from the open outside world. I'm OK with her, coz I'm more of a script and "expression" person, but I know there are people here who will object. But, it may be good to see new faces once in a while. Who is this actress who plays Lin Dai Yu? Wonder if there is anything anyone knows about her?

Regarding Hong Lou Meng, I remember my mother used to watch the HK version when I was very little. My mum read the novel. I heard about it when I was older, about two cousins or something..

[bwitched]

I'm glad yang mi has joined the production. Hoping to see her play the big roles. But the two leading ladies have been picked. I see her more in the role of Daiyu..but Baochai would be great too, so she can gain some weight. Coz Daiyu is supposed to be sick n more frail in looking..

Jiayou Yang mi

[owbjhx]

According to her manager, Yang Mi will be taking part in filming but she does not know which character she'll play yet.

That's quite exciting news. Anyone care to speculate on what role she might end up in? Xifeng is the only one of the major female characters yet to be casted, but I can't see Yang Mi as her. I doubt she's the type for the edgey Tanchun or the tomboyish Xiangyun, either. My guess is a pseudo-cameo as one of the maids: Ping'er perhaps.

Who is this actress who plays Lin Dai Yu? Wonder if there is anything anyone knows about her?

The actress is Yao Di, a 25-year-old from Zhejiang; a Beijing Film Academy graduate, she has some film & TV experience, and has acted as Daiyu before on the opera stage. I have no idea how good she is, but she looks alright:

Regarding Hong Lou Meng, I remember my mother used to watch the HK version when I was very little. My mum read the novel. I heard about it when I was older, about two cousins or something..

In my opinion, from a literary point of view HLM is one of the greatest novels ever written, in any language. It's a world-class classic from China's artistic tradition. Because of this, Li Shaohong and her team are under tremendous pressure to meet peoples' expectations, which will be almost impossible.

[yanfeng]

Agreed- if there's a more famous novel than HLM in Chinese literature that's hard to imagine. I admit I've only ever read a few poems from there, but they're lovely and after watching the original Chinese serial I'm even more excited about the remake.

Though I have to say they're going to be hard pressed to beat the old series- the casting there was unbelievable! Everyone from Daiyu and Baoyu, XiFeng and Grandma, the myriad cousins and maids down to the single-line extras were fantastic! Will have to have an equally full, well-done cast to be able to carry off this epic.

[sunnysnow]

I think YM could be playing any role, important or unimportant. She signed on as an artist under Li Shaohong's management or something and apparently all her artists will have to star/guest star in a role for this series. I cant remember whether I've mentioned this before but Yao Di looks like a cross between Fan Bingbing and Han Xue.

[LiYuanZhi]

Bisexual as in he likes both sexes or he looks like both male and female?

Both, actually. Because he likes both sexes (Qin Zhong, remember?) and he's been described to look so beautiful that he looks like a girl, so very femine beauty.

As to Yang Mi, I was also quite excited, but the same with you guys I can't really picture her in any role? The first that popped into my head was Xi Chun (the fourth sister) who is quite young, and has a feisty edge to her. She ends up as a nun though.

I like Yao Di, but I'm a bit doubtful of her playing Dai Yu. 'Why? Because she's twenty-seven. And Bai Bing, who plays Bao Chai, is only 22 or 23. And it was rumoured lately that the one who was to play Bao Yu is 20. So really quite munted age-wise, with a 'big' Lin-mei-mei.

[Lady Zhuge]

I've seen Yao Di in several series and find it difficult picturing her as Lin Dai Yu. She doesn't have the right eyes.

Filming may start in April, but they still haven't found Bao Yu yet!

[yufeihong]

Yao Di doesn't look fragile or sick, she looks rather plump and looks like the sort to play Bao Chai. I think they should've just kept her as Bao Chai.

[sunnysnow]

Not sure whether anyone's interested but here's a very short and rather badly taken clip of rehearsals/training. I suppose the girl in the turquoise jacket is Yao Di? I know the girl in black and white stripes in Yang Mi. Seems like the series is going to be very opera and stage-like.

http://video.sina.com.cn/ent/v/m/200...80311817.shtml

[kimtoa]

I must agree that the producer and director are blind. The girls to play Dai Yu and Bao Chai are below rate. They do not have that "look" of dai Yu or Bao Chai. Now they pick Yao Di to play Dai Yu is a big mistake. She doen't look at all fragile or a sad looking person, but her face look so cheerful to be disguise as Dai Yu.....Very very dissappoint

[owbjhx]

It's The Moment You've Been Waiting For: Baoyu's finally been casted! (Sort of.) The Chinese press is abuzz with rumours that 13-year-old prodigy Zhang Junyu, already regarded as a promising child star in Chinese showbiz, has landed the role of Little Baoyu:



Note that the role of Little Baoyu isn't likely to be much more than a cameo. HLM Director Li Shaohong apparently intends Baoyu to be 'split' between four different actors, each taking a stage in the character's life: Baby Baoyu, Little Baoyu, Baoyu, and Old Baoyu. Of these, only the third will have truly significant screentime, and we still don't know who'll get that role.

In other news, the intensive 2-month-long HLM 'bootcamp' - in which about 50 young actors and actresses were put through a punishing daily schedule of training in Qing-era customs, posture, classical hobbies (e.g. poetry, painting and music), acting, and Redology - has just concluded. The trainees will now return to their homes and await their roles. More news to come in the next 2 weeks.

[owbjhx]

Further details of casting have trickled out. Jia Mu will be played by the venerable Zhou Caiqin, one of the first Chinese actresses to train in the West and also (in 1967) surely the first Chinese 'Bond Girl' in You Only Live Twice. Her more recent appearances have included cameos in the latest James Bond film, Casino Royale, as well as Memoirs of a Geisha. Given this background, seeing her as the party-loving Jia matriarch might be...surreal:



(Above: scene from Casino Royale. Zhou Caiqin is the woman sitting next to Bond, James Bond.)

Lady Wang will be played by Gui Yalei, who (among other things) was in 1994's terrific Eat Drink Man Woman, one of Ang Lee's early works.

Various other 'senior' roles - Granny Liu, Jia She, Lady Xing, Lady Xue, Jia Zhen, Lady You and Jiao Da - have been taken by experienced actors. I suspect HLM director Li Shaohong has already decided upon *all* of the roles, but is simply releasing the news gradually so as to maximise media coverage.

There are rumours that Cheng Yuanyuan (one of the candidates for Daiyu in the talent contest) will play Ping'er, and Yang Mi will be Qingwen.

[Ren Ying Ying]

In other news, the intensive 2-month-long HLM 'bootcamp' - in which about 50 young actors and actresses were put through a punishing daily schedule of training in Qing-era customs, posture, classical hobbies (e.g. poetry, painting and music), acting, and Redology - has just concluded. The trainees will now return to their homes and await their roles. More news to come in the next 2 weeks.

somehow, i was always under the impression that HLM was set in the ming dynasty due to the 80s adaption

[owbjhx]

somehow, i was always under the impression that HLM was set in the ming dynasty due to the 80s adaption

The novel contains little hints (e.g. the imperial titles) that it's Qing. Although actually, filming it in the Ming probably wouldn't make a huge difference...

Coincidentally, I recommend a really good book on HLM - it's called "Men & Women in Qing China: Gender in the Red Chamber Dream", by Louise Edwards. It's an excellent example of good-quality feminist literary criticism.