Zhang Ziyi quits "Secret Fan": report
Actress-turned-producer Zhang Ziyi may produce another film, but it won't be "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan" as was previously reported.
Zhang has quit her roles as the upcoming film's producer and lead actress, Sohu.com cited Zhang's publicist, Ji Lingling, as saying Wednesday.
Ji says Zhang wants to concentrate on Wong Kar-Wai's martial-arts drama, "The Grand Master". The film is being shot in northeastern China.
Filming of "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan" was scheduled to kick off earlier this month, but had been postponed for unspecified reason.
Meanwhile, South Korean star Jeon Ji-Hyun, who was cast alongside Zhang, has also quit, said the Sohu report.
Producers are approaching other Chinese actresses, including Fan Bingbing, Li Bingbing, Shu Qi and Gao Yuanyuan, according to Sohu.
"Snow Flower and the Secret Fan", an English-language film about a lifetime friendship between two women set in 19th century China, is adapted from Lisa See's novel of the same name. The film is to be directed by Chinese-American filmmaker Wayne Wang, who also helmed "Maid in Manhattan".
"Snow Flower and the Secret Fan" was to be Zhang Ziyi's second film as a producer, following the 2009 romantic comedy "Sophie's Revenge".
Zhang's resignation has roused suspicions that it might be an aftermath of a recent confrontation between the actress and a Beijing publication. The latter carried an article fabricating Zhang as "the third woman destroying another's family." The actress filed a suit in a Beijing court accusing the newspaper of defamation. The case was accepted but no further information has been heard.
Ji, Zhang's agent, denies that Zhang's quitting has anything to do with the case, saying, "She's been very busy with Wong Kar-Wai's film... Although Ziyi won't work with director Wayne Wang this time, they will have another project together in the near future."