New Zhang Yimou Film Begins Production Friday

According to Monkey Peaches director Zhang Yimou will begin production on his latest film this coming Friday. Though there are rumblings that Yimou is prepping a third martial arts film to follow up the huge international success of both Hero and House of Flying Daggers this one appears to be more in line with his art film roots.

Monkey Peaches summarizes the film this way:

"Set in the 1920's, Qian Li Zou Dan Ji tells a story of a Japanese man (Takakura Ken), accompanies his dying son to learn the local opera in China's Yunnan, where they meets a local girl. The girl will be played by Jiang Wen, a graduate student from Beijing Film Academy."

This will apparently be Ken Takakura's final film before retirement ...