Our first clear look at the actual footage for John Woo & Su Chao-pin's wuxia film
Reign of Assassins (Chinese title: Jianyu Jianghu, English translation: Rain of Swords in the Martial Arts World)
has surfaced online in the form of a promo reel. The cast include Michelle Yeoh, Jung Woo-sung, Barbie Hsu, Kelly Lin, Shawn Yue, Angeles Woo and Wang Xueqi. Here's a detailed synopsis (spoiler alert):
In 428AD, Bodhi, a Southern India prince became a Buddhist monk and set
off for China, earning a hallowed reputation as a mystical martial
artist. Following his death, his remains mysteriously disappeared.
Hundreds
of years later, Zhang, a high-ranking court official, is assassinated
by Drizzle. Zhang's son Jingxiu, whilst mourning his father's death, is
assailed by a group assassins. They leave him for dead, but somehow he
survives and escapes their clutches.
Drizzle, a talented
warrior herself, finds herself in possession of Bodhi's remains, and
begins her quest to return them to their rightful resting place at
Yunhe Temple. The Black Stone, a team of deadly assassins who employed
Drizzle, are also after the remains and the powerful secret they hold.
To hide from The Black Stone, Drizzle undergoes drastic facial surgery
and changes her name to Zeng Jing (Michelle Yeoh). She flees to
Beijing, where she meets and falls in love with Jiang, soon to become
her husband.
After a confrontation in Beijing, Zeng
Jing's identity is uncovered and both she and Jiang must flee for their
lives. As Zeng Jing kills off members of the gang while they are on the
run, she quickly realizes Jiang is actually Jingxiu, and he is seeking
to avenge his father's death. This leads to a lethal triangle and a
fight to death between our hero Zeng Jing, Jiang and The Black Stone.
The only question remains who will be the last ones standing to uncover the secret of Bodhi's remains?
The release date is either in August or September. You'll find the promo reel (Mandarin with English subtitles) embedded below.