Hong Kong’s “King of Comedy” Stephen Chow (Siu Say) is about to start shooting the female version film of “Shaolin Soccer,” titled “She Kicks” (temporary title), and the recent cast of actors has been revealed. It was revealed that Mainland Chinese actor Wang Yibo will play the male lead, overshadowing the “Golden Chicken Film Queen” Zhang Xiafei, along with South Korean actor Song Kang-ho joining the cast. The film is scheduled to start filming in Guangdong in December, and they are currently recruiting extras.
Corresponding to various leaks, the cast list on the film introduction page of “She Kicks” has been updated with Wang Yibo, Zhang Xiafei, and Song Kang-ho included. In early November, there was also news about recruiting extras, and the timing and location matched.
Stephen Chow, who previously invited popular Mainland Chinese actors like Huang Bo, Wang Baoqiang, and Deng Chao to play the male lead roles, has shown a particular interest in Mainland Chinese rising star Wang Yibo in recent years when looking for a new male lead. Reports revealed that the 27-year-old Wang Yibo starred with big names like Tony Leung and Zhou Xun in the film “Nameless” last year, receiving praise for his acting skills. It was rumored that Wang Yibo has mostly taken on more serious roles in recent years, so he is quite interested in acting in comedies and working with Stephen Chow this time, but he may have some concerns and considerations as “She Kicks” is evidently a film with a strong female lead.
As for South Korean actor Song Kang-ho being added to the cast, Stephen Chow had posted a photo with him on Instagram in October last year, where they even discussed “She Kicks,” and the joke-loving Song Kang-ho surprisingly played along. At that time, Stephen Chow hinted at inviting Song Kang-ho to play the referee, but Song Kang-ho jokingly responded that he wanted to play a player and assured that his acting skills are not a problem. If this leaked information is true, it indicates that Stephen Chow’s invitation was successful.
The film “Shaolin Soccer,” released in 2001, was a special effects comedy film directed by Stephen Chow after “King of Comedy,” where he was also the writer and actor. It starred Zhao Wei, Ng Man-tat, Xie Xian, Wong Yat-fei, among others. The movie drew inspiration from the Japanese mecha anime series “Giant Robo” and the Japanese manga series “Captain Tsubasa.” It won the “Best Actor” and “Best Director” awards at the Hong Kong Film Awards and was selected as one of the “100 Best Chinese Language Films” by the Hong Kong Film Awards Association in 2005.
Although “Shaolin Soccer” was a global hit, it was not released in Mainland China. There were claims that the film couldn’t be screened in China because the name “Shaolin” was deemed derogatory to the reputation of Shaolin Temple, but Stephen Chow refused to change the title, leading to the film’s ban. Another common belief is that the finale of “Shaolin Soccer” touched on a sensitive topic for the Chinese government: the Evil Team bribing everyone except the Shaolin Team from top to bottom and even shamelessly using prohibited substances on the field, reminiscent of the Chinese football scandal involving match-fixing at that time.