S. Korea's Song Hye-gyo cast in new film by Wang Jiawei

SEOUL, Dec. 21 (Yonhap) -- Korean Wave star Song Hye-gyo has been cast in Chinese
director Wang Jiawei's upcoming film "The Grand Master" along with top performers
including Tony Leung and Zhang Ziyi, the actress's agent said Monday.
Song, the heroine of mega-hit TV series "Autumn In My Heart (2000)," will join
the cast early next year, said Seoul-based Eden 9 Entertainment.
The actress, whose role has yet to be fixed, has been studying Chinese and
martial arts for the film, according to the agency.
In "The Grand Master," Leung takes on the role of Ip Man, a real-life Wing Chun
grandmaster whose students included the legendary martial artist Bruce Lee. Other
top Chinese actors and actresses, including Chang Chen, Brigitte Lin and Zhao
Benshan, will join the cast.
Wang, internationally renowned for visually unique and stylish films including
"Chungking Express (1994)" and "Happy Together (1997)," first revealed his hopes
to work with Song during the 2004 Pusan International Film Festival.
Though considered one of the most influential TV performers in Korea, Song has
been relatively unsuccessful on screen, with her films like "Hwang Jin-yi (2007)"
recording mediocre box office results.
hayney@yna.co.kr
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