Just when you thought Hollywood was the only place on Earth where recent films can get remade every couple of years… First Zhang Yimou remakes “Blood Simple” and now, along comes the Chinese remake of Nancy Meyers’ “What Women Want.” The decade-old (ancient) romantic dramedy starred “Apocalypto” director Mel Gibson as Nick Marshall, a chauvinistic-at-worst rich guy who realizes he has the ability to hear women’s thoughts. Helen Hunt played the object of his affections. The film was a box office success, picking up $182 mil at home and $191 overseas, pretty top-shelf for a romantic comedy back in the double zeros.
Now, The Hollywood Reporter is reporting that director Chen Daming has landed Gong Li for Helen Hunt’s role in his remake of “What Women Want” and lined up Andy Lau in Mel Gibson’s role. Gong Li “will play the creative director at a Beijing advertising firm run by a chauvinistic (and mind-reading) Lau.”
Daming has previously directed 2004’s buddy comedy “Manhole” and 2006’s theater drama “One Foot Off The Ground”. Li has been away from the screen for a while — she was last seen in 2007’s “Hannibal Rising” — but she does have the terribly delayed drama “Shanghai”, hitting screens this month…in China. Lau most recently starred in two features, the time traveling sci-fi film “Future X Cop” and the period mystery “Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame.”
It is interesting to see how a more female-centric film will do in China, and whether Daming will maintain the essentially feministic undercurrents of the American original. He had this to say on the casting of Gong Li: “I wanted to bring more strength out in the woman character to reflect what’s happening in China,” adding, “Chinese women are leading giant businesses today and winning most of our Olympic gold. Gong Li has the presence to convey this strength.”