E-Paper
Jackie Chan eyes role as movie mogul
By
Hong Kong action star Jackie Chan, who seems as busy these days funding movies as starring in them, dreams of becoming China's answer to Steven Spielberg or George Lucas.
At the Cannes Film Festival to promote his latest movie The Myth, the prolific martial arts hero said that, crucially, he has the backing of domestic banks and "tycoons" willing to help China's movie industry compete with Hollywood dominance.
"After China opened up all those years ago, they know how important the film industry is and the government helped a lot," he told Reuters on Wednesday in an interview on the waterfront in the exclusive Riviera resort.
"There are a lot of big companies really supporting making movies. They know the power it has. Look at American film. American film is so successful, American culture is so successful."
"I think the Chinese government and the big tycoons, they know. There are so many tycoons, they ask me 'Jackie, here is 200 million, can you make ten films for me?'"
He did not specify whether he was referring to US dollars or Chinese yuan, but explained that one advantage he had over his Hollywood rivals was that a film that would cost $150-200 million in America would cost $60 million to make in China.
"My goal is one day to be a Steven Spielberg, a George Lucas."
MONEY NOT EVERYTHING
But it is not all about money.
"We have to have good quality. You have to (take) responsibility, you have to make a good quality movie."
The Myth is a $20 million China-funded production co-produced by Chan's JCE Movies Limited and the China Film Group Corporation.
It deals with the discovery by an archaeologist of the mausoleum built by China's first emperor Qin Shihuang in 221 BC. Starring with Chan in the film, which is not part of any official competition in Cannes, is Bollywood actress Mallika Sherawat. She agreed that Asia was the future of cinema.
"Our grandparents watched Europeans and Americans and your grandchildren are going to watch Asians," she told Reuters.
"I think everything is becoming global now and in the coming years half the world's population will live in China and India. If the West truly wants to go global they can't ignore it."
Although it is her first time in Cannes, Sherawat was not short on confidence.
"I think Cannes is the best place for foreign actress to be launched. Brigitte Bardot launched in 50s. Then Princess Grace came here ... and now it's Mallika Sherawat in 2005."
