Heaven Sword Dragon Sabre 2017

[Verdiani]

Yeah but Jet Li somehow did it with XZ and promise to be with her, I would never ever agree for him to chose ZM in that version. He totally got the soft side and charisma done well.


LOLOLOLOLOLOL!!!!
So...I didn't look too carefully, just realized now that Li Xinai is the Li Chang Le (evil lady) from the Princess Wei Young and also near-duplication of Viann Zhang Xingyu. It's gonna be interesting to see such a huge transition because Xiao Zhao is such a sweet and nice person. Li Chang Le was totally not a very small role, comparingly hateful to rong mo mo.

[Don Yu]

Love Jia Qing

[yanfeng]

Jet Li's ZWJ was quite a different ZWJ than either the book or any dramas... it was partly because they compressed it into one movie, but partly they definitely wrote him to be ambitious, cunning and essentially not the soft-hearted, indecisive hero that Jinyong had imagined.

BTW, I keep seeing conflicting reports... although I consider Baike relatively well-researched, and there are multiple reports here, there are also conflicting reports that Yu Zheng has NOT cast the actors for HSDS 2017 (and one report that even claimed that Yu Zheng said he wasn't doing HSDS in 2017!)

So, I'm going to keep watching this space, but just so you guys know that I'm going to have to soft-pedal on my surety on this news!

[wkeej]

Yeah but Jet Li somehow did it with XZ and promise to be with her,

I will watch HSDS 2017 if this happen!

[luna_lucid]

Yeah but Jet Li somehow did it with XZ and promise to be with her, I would never ever agree for him to chose ZM in that version. He totally got the soft side and charisma done well.


LOLOLOLOLOLOL!!!!
So...I didn't look too carefully, just realized now that Li Xinai is the Li Chang Le (evil lady) from the Princess Wei Young and also near-duplication of Viann Zhang Xingyu. It's gonna be interesting to see such a huge transition because Xiao Zhao is such a sweet and nice person. Li Chang Le was totally not a very small role, comparingly hateful to rong mo mo.

I watched Jet Li's version for Jet Li (and the action, mainly) . I don't agree with the story+changes, but oh well .. it's Jet Li . For the series, I like Xiao Zhao and I don't think I wanna see her turned into a manipulative cunning lady like Chang Le *lol - only skimming Weiyoung, but know what kinda character she is there*. I raised my eyebrows watching the Jet Li's version .. luckily it was a movie, not a drama series. If she is turned into that kinda characters in YZ's version, then bye2 drama.. I'll just skimmed the series to watch my fave parts.

Character change aside, I don't think the actress is suitable to be Xiao Zhao, just like I don't think YSS is suitable as Zhao Zhi Ruo. From what I can see, my fave ZZRs are (of course) the 86 version, and then the 2000(Alec Su) version. They are both pretty and elegant, and each is an equal adversary for ZM (since those girls are supposed to be equally pretty, with opposite vibes).

[suetkei]

I wonder if yumama will bring back Michelle since she did so well as XLN they should make her ZM 😂😂 (its sarcasm btw) honestly I love his drama because everything always so pretty and pretty scenery but I dropped roch 2014 because it just kept dragging and was all over the place with so many fillers

[Mido-Ban]

Man I really wanted tiffany tang to play zhao mei and zhao liying to play zzr....hope tangren could do more jin yong or gu long adaptions.

I'll like to see twin of brothers remake with wallace and Hu ge.

R these cast confirmed?

[Verdiani]

Man I really wanted tiffany tang to play zhao mei and zhao liying to play zzr....hope tangren could do more jin yong or gu long adaptions.

I'll like to see twin of brothers remake with wallace and Hu ge.

R these cast confirmed?

Honestly I don't think that will be a bad cast at all but I'm not sure why the big names actresses and actors are not collaborating lately, making things no fun.
And they seems to be afraid of doing the re-makes.
As long as it's a good director doing remakes then it shouldn't be a problem. For example, Ariel Lin's condor hero 2008 is a remake but very very awesome, I still like it even better than her LLW and many other dramas to this date.

[Mido-Ban]

I know with all changes I really enjoyed 08 condor heroes next to 80s version. If they didn't have to rush it it could've been way better but with Hu ge accident at time I guess he had to make comeback with loch 08 and I think chinese paladin 3 right after.

I believe most actors like Hu ge I know wants to stay away from wuxia so he doesn't get label as for that genre or play those types of roles.

A lot like American actors such as toby McGuire first spider man, or Shia labouf from transformer. They don't want to be known for those roles only. I think that's y they stopped making movies now bc now there basically known for those roles.

But we know these actors are versatile such as hu ge and wallace they doesn't seem to have much drama for next year.

I prefer to have familiar faces within past couple yrs to play these roles. Tried watching border town prodigal but didn't really like the action scenes or some of the cast or hair styles.

Yss doesn't look at pretty as other actress so she shouldnt be in the role. I can probably see her as the a spider girl or another emei member.

[Verdiani]

LOL, I know right? A lot of them are afraid of being labeled as something and keeps thinking they won't grow. I think they should really take roles that really match them regardless of the genre. They are actually really limiting themselves even more if they are not good at being repetitive. I would like if they can kind of have their own self brand. Just think of Jackie Chan and Jet Li, being repetitively loved by almost the same characters replay every time. They didn't even have to go crazy with hair and clothes each and every single time because of being afraid of looking the same from last time. They are...just simply themselves.

Familiar faces is totally the safest route to go! There are many people I always prefer them as side casts only, and that is because they match it so much, I do want to keep them as side casts forever. I don't think of it like I was trying to keep them away from growing or anything, they just match those roles too too much. They can rise to important roles, but if it don't match them, then it's all criticisms they'll have to take. Unless there was a storyline that was written especially for them to match them as the main role of that...

[hirobo2]

Jackie Chan is overrated. I watched like 20 minutes total of Skiptrace before dropping it. Whereas I sat thru League of Gods nearly twice.

[yanfeng]

Hey all,

I'm still checking now and again to see if there are any updates/confirmation about the news. So far the Baidu site is still up and legit-looking plus several articles have referenced the 2017 《倚天屠龙记》under lists of shows for 2017, but no new news directly about it!

So treat this as very serious rumor on the production and cast but not yet confirmed.

(On a tangent: There's a fun article here about how 2017 will have a sudden up-welling for female-character-centric shows including Yitiantulong, but also Legend of Ruyi, 将军在上 in Chinese literally "The General on Top"- with the General being the lead female character, Ode to Joy 2, Princess Agent etc. I'm pretty psyched about them all!)

[Mido-Ban]

I wouldn't mind seeing lyf as wuji since xf from chusen is almost similar.

Since it's yz version I hope he can copy the jet li version n make wuji more vengeful. I wouldn't mind Chen xiao playing the lead.

Cast I would prefer for any of main leads are tiffany tang, yang mi, zhao liying, ma xiang tong, yang rong, lss, ariel lin, liyifei what happened to her after Rotch 06? There are other actress just cant name the all. Alot of female cast in chusen fit roles in this series.

Hu ge and wallace are old so I wouldn't mind if they play like yang siu or Zhang chusan or cameo as yang guo or so.

I try to watch the 09 version but couldn't stand the ost or cgi. Wouldn't mind seeing ady play zzr or Persian girl.

I enjoyed both swordsman and romance even wit all changes since they were either copied from other versions or tvb 90s versions but they could've done alot better with Costumes,hair styl, female cast n cgi.

I hope this version production will be more spent for leads costume. In romance Chen xiao costumes were horrible until 17yrs laer he fitted.

Current stars that are appearing alot are Hu ge, wallace huo, William chan, Chen xiao, lyf, yang yang, matiangyu, I think a if these could portray wuji and get people to watch .

[Don Yu]

Will this be airing in 2017 or 18?

[Riverlake]

LOL, I know right? A lot of them are afraid of being labeled as something and keeps thinking they won't grow. I think they should really take roles that really match them regardless of the genre. They are actually really limiting themselves even more if they are not good at being repetitive. I would like if they can kind of have their own self brand. Just think of Jackie Chan and Jet Li, being repetitively loved by almost the same characters replay every time. They didn't even have to go crazy with hair and clothes each and every single time because of being afraid of looking the same from last time. They are...just simply themselves.

Familiar faces is totally the safest route to go! There are many people I always prefer them as side casts only, and that is because they match it so much, I do want to keep them as side casts forever. I don't think of it like I was trying to keep them away from growing or anything, they just match those roles too too much. They can rise to important roles, but if it don't match them, then it's all criticisms they'll have to take. Unless there was a storyline that was written especially for them to match them as the main role of that...

I fall on the other side of this debate. I think every actor/actress should only do a series once, and in the case of Jin Yong series, they should only do one role in one Jin Yong series, unless it's LOCH and ROCH, in which case they can do it twice as the character's younger and older self. These series are well known stories, and are supposed to be testing grounds for new actors/actresses, where we can compare them to past actors/actresses in the same roles. In this way, they're a tradition, and bringing in old faces for important roles breaks that tradition.

Genre is a different issue. I understand actors/actresses don't want to be known for only one genre because then they can't get roles in other genres, which is fine, but it's also fine to only play martial arts characters, and to be known just for that. We all know many actors and actresses who fall into that category, and in fact it's better to specialize here because you need a specific set of skills to play martial arts characters. I don't think most drama actors/actresses necessarily have what it takes, which might also be why the fight scenes are getting worse and worse, as directors have to come up with new ways to hide the fact that the actors/actresses they hire don't have the skills to perform their own fight scenes.

[hirobo2]

Hope they compose more awesome songs for this new series. As much as I hated the ROCH 2014 drama, I did really enjoy the opening song "Vastness" and ending song "You and I"...

Don't even get me started on the superb Swordsman 2013 OST, both of which soundtracks I've already added to my vast drama and anime music library!

[jed-revolutia]

The Condor Heroes trilogy always has new adaptations every decades! I can't wait to watch this one.

[hirobo2]

The Condor Heroes trilogy always has new adaptations every decades! I can't wait to watch this one.

Definitely. Can't say the same for Whitewashed LOCH 2017 (at least 2 chars w blond(e) hair in that one, ew!). This thread also seems much clearer-minded unspoilt by blind fan-boyism unto the degree of blowing wind/hot air...

[Riverlake]

HSDS is my favorite Jin Yong novel, not because it is the most accomplished - that would be LOCH - but because it has, in my opinion, the most powerful story.

Most people will talk about the actresses as usual, but in my opinion, the success of any adaptation of 倚天屠龙记 rests on the two actors for ZWJ, the actors for his parents, and the actor for Xie Xun. This is because the emotional core of the story is actually not ZZR and Zhao Min fighting over ZWJ, but the story of ZWJ's family, including Xie Xun, and his relationship with the Ming cult, which drives most of the narrative.

Unlike other Jin Yong novels, HSDS is, above all, a story about injustice, prejudice, and the corruption and hypocrisy of martial society. Where LOCH and ROCH both paint martial society as a sort of heroic force, led by righteous organizations whose only fault is a bad member here and there, HSDS paints a martial society where the distinction between right and wrong is more a matter of perspective, and where the pursuit of power & glory - in the form of HSDS - makes monsters of even the most righteous. The martial world into which we are put in HSDS, is a dark, treacherous world, full of traitors, hypocrites, and people who'd do anything to obtain power.

Into this world walks ZWJ, a man, really more a boy, who has the biggest heart of them all. Not a 大英雄, like Guo Jing, or a misunderstood bad boy, like Yang Guo, ZWJ represents compassion, forgiveness, and decency. Almost like a Christ figure, he suffers for other people's sins, and then forgives them all. ZWJ is easily the nicest and least selfish of Jin Yong's protagonists, and unlike Guo Jing and Yang Guo, he sacrifices himself not just for country, family, and friends, but even for total strangers, as in his mind there is nobody that is fundamentally evil or deserving of death.

To portray such a character is not actually that easy. You need a male actor who looks honest and compassionate, and who, at the same time, can capture ZWJ's youthful innocence & relatively intelligent nature. To this day I still believe the 1986 version was the best simply because of Tony Leung, as his ZWJ captured all of the qualities that should be in ZWJ. He looked like a guy who could take it all in - all the evils of the world, all the sins, all the suffering - and still come out with a smile.

It's the same reason I couldn't stand the 2009 HSDS, despite the fact that the 2009 HSDS had some of my favorite actresses. First, HSDS 2009 had one of the most annoying kid actors for kid ZWJ that I've ever seen. Unlike other Jin Yong novels, kid ZWJ is incredibly important, and you simply cannot get it wrong, because it sets up the whole character. It is kid ZWJ who tames Xie Xun. It is kid ZWJ who suffers HSDS's most tragic moment. It is kid ZWJ who forgives martial society for the tragedy. It is kid ZWJ who demonstrates immense acts of compassion and maturity beyond his years. It is kid ZWJ who experiences much of the harshness of his world, and yet maintains hope & kindness. The narrative of HSDS reaches its perhaps most emotionally powerful climax in the very first act with ZWJ and his family, so to cast an annoying **** as kid ZWJ is to ruin the story.

Second, I don't think HSDS 2009's ZWJ fit the character. He just didn't look, well, kind & charismatic enough. But then perhaps I do have a bias towards Tony Leung, who is probably a level above most other actors. Still, it is much more important to get ZWJ right, than it is to get Zhao Min, ZZR, etc. right, because the story simply doesn't work unless both actors for ZWJ can convey what kind of person he is. Without that, HSDS as a story will fail, because much of ZWJ's actions are hard to believe unless you buy into the fact that he is supposed to be the Christ figure of his world.

As to why the actors for his parents and Xie Xun are important, it's because of what I said above: emotionally the most powerful act is right towards the beginning when his parents meet, fall in love, and then return to the mainland with ZWJ and the secret of Xie Xun, and then all of martial society shows up on false cause to force them to give up the location of Xie Xun. This act is not one you can just mess up, and Xie Xun also plays a very important role later on, with his revenge and redemption plot being the central climax of the show. Thus, the Xie Xun actor must be able to obtain our sympathy, or else again the story will fail.

All in all, I don't think the actresses for HSDS are actually all that important, as besides Zhao Min they don't have that much of a role in the story's most important plots, and even Zhao Min plays a less important role compared to Xie Xun. The Mongol plot almost feels like an after thought in HSDS, unlike in LOCH and ROCH. It's also why ZWJ didn't have to make a choice, because the romance between him and his choice just isn't that important.

[yanfeng]

Hey all, just a note to say that I've been keeping my eyes on the news feeds and so far nothing much to add.

The Baike.baidu site is still up and 3rd party articles are still talking about HSDS 2017 in lists when they discuss 2017 dramas, but no articles on e.g., filming starting, so this still seems to be "likely news but unconfirmed" to my mind.

Riverlake, it's a good point that HSDS doesn't focus as much on the central OTP romance as ROCH, and I'd agree that in common with LOCH, HSDS rides quite heavily on the side characters and even side romances (Wudan brothers, Ming sect people being the stand outs for me- and as you mention Zhang Sanfeng with Wuji, Wuji and his godfather, Wuji's parents.)

As a result, I'd say that many other characters have more interesting personalities than Wuji who is a bit of a "hero prototype". Not to say he's not important- he has to be very likeable- but I get the sense other characters are more difficult to "get right".

My main hopes for this
1. Reasonable scripting (changes that makes sense and add character development, not just add drama)
2. Reasonable casting for the main characters (depending on the version this is usually, Wuji, Zhaomin and Zhirou, but also the Wudang oldest brother, other Wudang brothers, Golden-haired lion, Zhang Sanfeng, Zhaomin's father, Wuji's parents and Yang Xiao.... I've never seen a good Buhui/6th Wudang brother, or Golden flower granny, but I imagine these could make a differnce?)
3. Decent production quality and fighting scenes (less crazy effects and more of the lovely HD shots that are really coming to be expected for today's dramas)

(Praying to the drama gods that this isn't too much to ask)