According to a report that originated in the Shanghai-based Oriental Morning Post, Hugh Jackman will star in Wayne Wang's 'Snow Flower and the Secret Fan.' The Post also reported that Li Bingbing has replaced Zhang Ziyi in the film. Also starring is Joen Ji-Hyun. Jackman is expected to begin filming in mid-February in a studio near Shanghai.
'Snow Flower and the Secret Fan' is based off of the 2005 novel by Lisa See. It is set in nineteenth century China and revolves around the lifelong friendship of two women and how rigid cultural codes shape their lives.
No other production details have been released.
Hugh Jackman won a 2004 Tony Award, Drama Desk, Drama League, Outer Critics Circle and Theatre World awards for Best Actor in a musical for his portrayal of the 1970s singer-songwriter Peter Allen in The Boy From Oz. Previous theater credits include Carousel at Carnegie Hall, Oklahoma! at the National Theater in London (Olivier Award nomination), Sunset Boulevard (MO Award - Australia's Tony Award) and Disney's Beauty and the Beast (MO Award nomination). From 2003 through 2005 he hosted the Tony Awards, winning a 2004 Emmy for Outstanding Individual Performer in a Variety, Musical or Comedy program. Most Recently, Jackman starred on Broadway in 'A Steady Rain' opposite Daniel Craig in the fall of 2009.
On screen, Jackman made his first major U.S. film appearance as Wolverine in the first installment of the X-Men franchise, a role he reprised in the enormously successful X2 and 2006's X-Men: The Last Stand. Most recently, he reprised his role in X-Men Origins: Wolverine which serves as a prequel to the popular series and grossed an outstanding $85 million domestically in its first weekend of release in May 2009. In late 2008, Jackman appeared in 20th Century Fox's romantic action-adventure epic Australia directed by Baz Luhrmann. Additional film credits include Deception opposite Ewan McGregor under the banner of his own Production Company, Seed Productions, The Fountain, The Prestige, and Woody Allen's Scoop. In addition, he lent his voice to the animated features Happy Feet and Flushed Away. Other leading roles include Someone Like You, Swordfish, Van Helsing, and Kate and Leopold, for which he received a 2002 Golden Globe nomination.
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