When a Chinese movie producer visited Iran in 2015, he discovered that Iranians love movies with martial arts. The local particularly pinpointed Jet Li, star of the 1982 blockbuster movie “The Shaolin Temple” as their favorite Kung Fu actor.
The realization that Iran is a potential market for Chinese martial arts films led to the co-production of "Way to Shaolin," between Shen Jian, the Chinese producer, and Iranian partners. What pushed Shen to go ahead with the project is reports that thousands of young Iranians now are into Chinese martial arts, reported China Daily. Shen thought, “A movie about the subject is quite likely to win this hearts.”
At the 2015 Fajr International Film Festival, work on the joint project started by tapping finance for the movie from ShineWork Media, a Chinese studio, and Farabi Cinema Foundation an Iranian firm. Shen trusted the filmmaking capabilities of Iranians whose works earned best foreign language movie in the Oscars. These are “A Separation” in 2012 and “Children of Heaven” in 1998.
To mix the two cultures, the story of the film revolved around a young Iranian who went to China to study Shaolin Kung Fu, one of the oldest martial arts in China. Shen is now casting the actors for the movie, while location hunting would take place in later 2016. The co-prod has a budget of $10 million for the drama-comedy “Way of Shaolin.”
To ensure the moves are really authentic Shaolin, the production tapped the services of the Shaolin Temple in Henan Province to guide the production staff in action choreography. Some of the locations would be in Henan, found in central China.
Shen says the best way for foreigner to learn Chinese wushu, or Kung Fu, is go to the temple where visitors would see people from different nationalities practicing the Chinese martial art.
While the movie is on pre-production stages, 19 real Shaolin Kung Fu masters from Henan Province staged a show in Palestine in February. The live show featured weapons, hard and soft Qigong, collective boxing and Shaolin unique skills, reported Xinhua News Agency.