By Robin Rowe

HOLLYWOOD, CA (Hollywood Today) 4/18/08 – “The first two takes were so fast that everybody had to tell us to slow down or they’d have to use slow motion,” says Jackie Chan.

‘The Forbidden Kingdom’ is the first time Jackie Chan and Jet Li have starred in the same movie. “First day, we’re on the set, there’s two stunt guys doing demonstration. We stand and look. I’m a fast learner. I’ve been doing stunts for years. I say, ‘Ok, let’s shoot without rehearsal’. I look at Jet Li. Jet Li say, ‘Ok, let’s shoot’. I want to show off quick. He wants to show off quick. I want quicker! After first cut director and Woo-Ping come up. ‘Good, but can you guys slow down?’.”

“Stories like the Monkey King, which ‘The Forbidden Kingdom’ is based on, are completely unknown to most Western audiences,” says Jet Li. “But the script got so many details right, and it created this great fusion of Eastern and Western sensibilities. It seemed like the perfect way to bring this character to an international audience. Having made so many violent movies in my career to date, I thought it was about time I made a film that families with children will be able to enjoy together. This is the film that I’m making for my two girls.” Li stars next in ‘The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor’, releasing in May.

This isn’t the first time that Jackie Chan and Jet Li tried to do a film together. “Fifteen years ago I write a script with him, Jet Li,” says Chan. “A lot of comedy. Great action! When I present the script to American writer, he didn’t like it. And after he rewrite the script, I don’t like it! That’s why it didn’t happen. This time it happened because Casey, the producer, in the middle. All those years, every ten days he give me a call. He’s the one flying around back and forth. Make the whole thing happen.”

“It’s a movie that I hope will introduce the West, martial artistry at the highest level with Jackie, Jet Li and Woo-Ping”, says producer Casey Silver. “Movies like ‘Crouching Tiger’ [also choreographed by Woo-Ping Yuen] were phenomenal, but they’re in Chinese. The ambition for this is try and deliver that sort of martial artistry to a broad audience.”

“Being both a martial arts film and a contemporary American film makes this unlike any martial arts film before,” says executive producer Raffaella De Laurentiis who handled the tough problems of location shooting in China. “All we wanted to do is make a fun, good movie that will appeal to both the East and the West, and I think we’ve done it.”

‘The Forbidden Kingdom’ is a road movie, with masters Jackie Chan and Jet Li guiding Crystal Liu and Michael Angarano.” “I’m very lucky,” says Chinese actress Crystal Liu. “All my scenes are with Jackie Chan, Jet Li, and Michael.” Liu is a young warrior with a grudge to settle. Angarano “has no Kung Fu” and must quickly learn to protect himself, like the ‘Karate Kid’.

“I remembered Michael from ‘Lords of Dog Town’, which he was amazing in, did his own stunts on the skateboard,” says director Rob Minkoff, better known for directing children’s stories like ‘Stuart Little’ and ‘The Lion King’. “Going to China and living there for seven months was not a small thing. Michael had such a great positive attitude.’ Casey says, “Michael does a great job; he shares the screen with two great movie stars who are stars for a reason.”

“We wanted to shoot all over China in remote locations,” says Minkoff. “We had tons of equipment and the crew. We were shooting the movie with the Genesis camera. It was the first time that had been done in China. It was all shot digitally. We worked with primarily a Chinese crew. Ninety percent of everyone on the movie is from mainland China or Hong Kong. You have to work a little harder to communicate. Jackie speaks English, Cantonese and Mandarin.”

“Every time I make an American movie I trust American director,” says Chan. “Myself, I would never make this kind of film. For me those kind of films are ridiculous. It doesn’t make sense. After ‘Rush Hour’ I said my career finished. Big hit. Why?”

Chan reflects not only on his unexpected success, but his longevity. “My master already passed away. Now I’m the master. Feels funny. I want to be a real actor, not just action star. Action star life very short. After maybe thirty years, I’m the only one. How long can I keep fighting? Right after ‘Forbidden Kingdom’ I just finished a movie called ‘The Shinjuku Incident’. It’s a drama totally, just maybe 1% action. Heavy, heavy drama. The next one will be big action. Then coming maybe a love story. I want to change.” Chan is the voice of Master Monkey, in DreamWorks Animation’s ‘Kung Fu Panda’ releasing in June.

Besides his acting career, Jackie Chan is also the tourism and Olympics ambassador to China. “When we make some very famous Chinese story, nobody knows,” says Chan. “We need famous American director or or studio to make some traditional Chinese culture movie. Now, because Disney make ‘Mulan’, the world know ‘Mulan’. Then people understand Chinese, more people come to China.”

Distributor: LIONSGATE

Release date: April 18, 2008

Duration: 113 minutes

Rated: PG-13 for sequences of martial arts action and some violence

Robin Rowe is a co-founder of ScreenPlayLab (www.screenplaylab.com).