Former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson, invited by Chinese producer and entrepreneur Shi Jianxiang, officially joined the cast of Ip Man 3 in Shanghai.
The $36 million Kung Fu biopic reunites the team that made the first two movies, and is executive-produced by Shi, founder and CEO of Shanghai Kuailu Investment Group.
Martial artist Donnie Yen, who will reprise his role as Ip Man in the third installment, exchanged gifts with Tyson.
Tyson gave a boxing glove to Yen, who in return gave a set of mook jongs, or wooden dummies used in martial arts training. Executive producer Shi also sent a sword to Tyson, wishing him a thriving film career in China.
Ip Man (1893-1972) was a Chinese martial artist who popularized the practice of Wing Chun, a discipline specialized in close-range combat. One of his most famous pupils was Bruce Lee, who later developed his own discipline, Jeet Kune Do.
Ip Man 3 focuses on the master-student relationship between Ip Man and Bruce Lee. But in the opinion of Shi, the movie is not just a story. “The movie also conveys the spirit of emotion and justice,” said Shi.
Tyson is set to have a significant role in Ip Man 3, playing a property developer who also happens to be a street fighter. He’s going to have some intense fighting scenes with Donnie Yen.
Shi hopes that the introduction of Tyson can further facilitate the cultural exchange between China and U.S., especially in the film industry.
China’s box office grew 37% over the past year to $4.8 billion. Every day in China, 15 new cinema screens are added to the country’s huge collection of 25,000.
In this favorable environment, the previous Ip Man series produced by Pegasus Films chief Raymond Wong grossed $37 million worldwide. Shi is therefore optimistic about the box office prospects of Ip Man 3, which is tentatively scheduled for release in 3D in the first quarter of 2016.
