File photo of mainland actresses Zhao Liying (left) and Yang Ying. (Getty Images △/Epoch Times synthesis)
[The Epoch Times, December 11, 2023](Reported by Epoch Times reporter Zhong Youchun) Mainland actress Yang Mi, who was previously reported to have left her old employer “Jiaxing Media”, will take over the role of Hong Kong director Peter Chan’s new film “Jiangyuan Lane” . The heroine of the film is Zhang Ziyi, and Yang Mi is rumored to play the second female lead. Unexpectedly, it was recently reported that she was just a guest star, and the second heroine was Zhao Liying. Although the cast of the new film has not yet been officially announced, fans from both parties are already clamoring.
Peter Chan’s new film “Jiangyuan Lane” is adapted from real events. The plot tells that in a treacherous era, a bizarre case stirred up waves with one stone. There are different opinions as to what the truth is. And when the whole story of the case gradually emerged like pieces of a puzzle, people realized that the truth was not that important anymore.
Although “Jiaoyuan Lane” has been filming for many days, and both Zhang Ziyi and Lei Jiayin were photographed on the set, the film’s casting list has not yet been fully revealed.
Earlier, there were frequent rumors on the Internet that the second female lead was Yang Mi, but recently the news has reversed. Someone left a message saying: “I didn’t dare post about “Jiang Yuan Nong” for fear of making a fuss. The second female lead was reserved for Zhao Liying. The movie I’m filming now will focus on her role first, and she will join the cast after the filming is completed.” Zhao (Zhao Liying) should join the cast of “Jiang” after finishing her new movie.”
Some fans said that apart from the movie “Qiao Yan’s Mind” currently being filmed, Zhao Liying’s next movie is rumored to be a masterpiece, but the people involved are keeping a low profile. It is reported that Zhao Liying will play the female writer “Su Qing” in “Jiang Yuan Lane”, and Su Qing is a female writer as famous as Zhang Ailing. At that time, she worked to help the heroine reverse the murder case of her husband and was one of the important figures in the husband murder case.
Others say that Yang Mi will make a guest appearance as a female prisoner in “Jiang Yuan Lane”. However, official media reported that Yang Mifang had refuted the rumors.
Peter Chan had been photographed meeting Yang Mi earlier. Maybe Yang Mi was indeed the candidate for the second female lead. Although there was no official announcement, the entry on “Douban” showed that Yang Mi was indeed on the list, but Zhao Liying’s name was not found. The official WeChat account of the movie has been set up, but it does not pay attention to the actors, which leads to many rumors and leaves a lot of suspense: who is the second female lead between Yang Mi and Zhao Liying?
I don’t know if Zhao Liying’s fans care about Yang Mi being the second female lead, or because Zhao Liying is not the second female lead, which has led to endless arguments between Zhao Liying and Yang Mi’s fans, and the plot keeps reversing. Some netizens joked that a suspenseful horror film “Who is the Second Female?” could be made.
Peter Chan, who is known as “the first Grand Slam director in the Chinese film industry”, announced the production of “Jiang Yuan Lane” originally titled “The Murder of My Husband in Jiang Yuan Nong” at the Busan Film Festival in 2022. At that time, he expressed his intention to launch it directly on overseas streaming platforms. At that time, some insiders analyzed that Chen Kexin might give up on the Chinese market. However, in August this year, the film was approved by the China Film Bureau for script registration and filming. Netizens speculated that the film would still choose to be released in China.
Peter Chan once revealed that the film is a group portrait story with many actors joining in. Netizens therefore speculated that both Yang Mi and Zhao Liying might appear in the film. The two people, who are known as the “Queens of Ratings” in mainland TV dramas, starred together in “A Dream of Red Mansions” before they became popular. After that, they made their own careers and did not collaborate again. The cast list of the new movie has not yet been officially announced, and fans on both sides are already in a quarrel.
Editor in charge: Han Yu
