The New King of Comedy
2019 Chinese-Hong Kong film by Stephen Chow
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The New King of Comedy (Chinese: 新喜剧之王) is a 2019 comedy-drama film directed, written, and produced by Stephen Chow.[2][3] A Chinese-Hong Kong co-production, it is a remake of Chow's own 1999 film King of Comedy, this time set in Mainland China with different characters.
| The New King of Comedy | |
|---|---|
| |
| Traditional Chinese | 新喜劇之王 |
| Simplified Chinese | 新喜剧之王 |
| Hanyu Pinyin | Xīn Xǐjù Zhī Wáng |
| Directed by | Stephen Chow |
| Written by | Stephen Chow Ivy Kong Kelvin Lee Zhao Bojun |
| Story by | Stephen Chow |
| Based on | |
| Produced by | Stephen Chow Ivy Kong |
| Starring | E Jingwen Wang Baoqiang |
| Cinematography | Mazloum Saba |
| Edited by | Yeung Kai-wing |
| Music by | Raymond Wong Wendy Zheng |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Lian Rui (Shanghai) Film Industry Co., Ltd. |
Release date |
|
Running time | 91 minutes |
| Countries | China[1] Hong Kong[1] |
| Language | Mandarin |
| Budget | $8 million (50 million RMB) |
| Box office | $106.6 million |
The film tells the story of a young woman who is dreaming and striving to pursue the actors' dream despite being an extra and stand-in. It was released in China on 5 February 2019 during the Lunar New Year 2019.[4] With a budget of $8 million (US) along with few months of filming and post-production, it is believed to be the smallest project of Chow's career as a filmmaker.
Cast
- E Jingwen as Ru Meng
- Wang Baoqiang as Ma Ke
- Zhang Quandan as Charlie
- Jing Ruyang as Xiao Mi
- Zhang Qi as Ru Meng's father
- Yuan Xingzhe as Ru Meng's mother
Production
Stephen Chow began writing the film in 2015.[5] Filming began in October 2018 and lasted only a few weeks.
For the movie, Chow cast people who could relate to the life of a struggling actor. He intentionally sought out Wang to play the male lead role, due to the latter's experience in working as an extra early in his career.[6][7] Actress E Jingwen also worked as an extra prior to The New King of Comedy, similar to the character she played in the film.[8]
Chow recruited the Chinese girl group Ji Feng Shao Nu (Chinese: 疾风少女; lit. 'Storm Girls'), whose members were eliminated in the Chinese version of Produce 101, to sing the film's theme song.[9]
Release
The New King of Comedy was released in China on 5 February 2019.