Weekend in Taipei

Last updated

Weekend in Taipei
WeekendInTaipeiPoster.jpg
Theatrical poster
Directed by George Huang
Written by
Produced by
Starring
Production
companies
EuropaCorp
Huayu International Entertainment
Distributed by
  • EuropaCorp (France)
  • Cai Chang Asia (Taiwan)
Release dates
  • 1 September 2024 (2024-09-01)(Vieshow Cinemas Xinyi)
  • 25 September 2024 (2024-09-25)(France & Taiwan)
Running time
114 minutes
CountriesFrance
Taiwan [1]
LanguageEnglish

Weekend in Taipei is a 2024 French-Taiwanese action film directed by George Huang and co-written with Luc Besson. Starring Luke Evans, Gwei Lun-mei, and Sung Kang, the film was filmed and set in Taipei, Taiwan. It centers around an American DEA agent (Evans) who reunites with a Taipei-based mercenary driver (Gwei) and becomes entangled in a romantic relationship with her.

Contents

The film had its world premiere at Vieshow Cinemas Xinyi in Taipei, Taiwan on 1 September 2024, and is set to release theatrically in France and Taiwan on 25 September.

Premise

John Lawlor, a committed American Drug Enforcement Administration agent, fell in love with Joey, a Taipei-based transporter, but was forced to separate due to the disruption of criminal and corruption activities. 15 years later, the duo is reunited when Lawlor is on a mission in Taipei. [2]

Cast

In addition, Michael Tao has been cast in an undisclosed role. [4]

Production

Development

In 2013, director Luc Besson and producer Virginie Besson-Silla filmed the French sci-fi film Lucy in Taiwan. The duo was impressed by the city's landscapes and asserted they would to return for another project. [7] [8] In 2022, Taiwanese-American director George Huang conceived a film about a female mercenary driver set in Asia and approached Luc Besson to help develop the project. [9] Initially set in Hong Kong, the project became unavailable due to shifts in funding. Besson then suggested that Huang change the setting to Taipei. [10] [11] Huang and the Bessons, along with director Olivier Megaton, went to Taipei for location scouting in February 2023, [12] [7] and met with Taipei City mayor Chiang Wan-an, who announced that the film would be supported by the Taipei City Government and the Taipei Film Commission would join the production. [1] [12] The scout spanned fourteen days, after which Huang agreed to use Taipei as the backdrop and revised the screenplay accordingly. [10] [11] Initially titled Weekend Escape Project, the film was announced to be produced by EuropaCorp in June 2024, with Luke Evans and Gwei Lun-mei cast as the lead actors. [7] The film marks EuropaCorp's first production after the company's financial restructuring and a four-year hiatus. [7] Huang later also took up screenwriting duties and co-wrote the film with Besson. [13] In August, Korean-American actor Sung Kang joined the cast. [14] The distribution rights in North America were acquired by Ketchup Entertainment in March 2024. [13] The official trailer was released in August 2024, [15] with Patrick Lee revealed to be part of the cast. [16] In September, Tuo Tsung-hua and Lu Yi-ching announced to star. [5]

Filming

Principal photography began on 3 July 2023 in Taipei and was expected to spanned across three months, [7] with Evans arriving in Taiwan to prepare for the shoot in June. [17] [18] The entire filming crew was composed of Taiwanese filmmakers. [1] Location shooting in Taipei took place at various sites, including Zhongshan Hall, Lions' Plaza Commercial Building, and Luoyang Car Park in Wanhua District; the Taipei Performing Arts Center, Shezi Bridge, and Guandu Nature Park in Shilin District; Taipei Dome, Taipei 101, and Taipei City Hall in Xinyi District; Taipei Arena in Songshan District; and Taipei Music Center in Nangang District. [19] On 15 July, Daniel Wu and Janet Hsieh were seen with the cast in Neihu District, Taipei. [20] Production moved to Keelung on 25 July, where a car chase scene was shot near Dawulun Beach, [21] as well as at the Aodi Fishing Harbor. [22] On 11 August, filming took place at the Grand Victoria Hotel in Zhongshan District. [23] Shooting then occurred on American Street in Ximending on 22 August, with Besson and Kang spotted on set. [24] Additional scenes were captured in Datong District and Daan District, and the entire production filed a total of twelve road closure applications, including closing the Ziqiang Tunnel to film a car crash scene, making it the most applied-for film in history. [10] [25] Most of the interior scenes were filmed at Marriott Taipei, where the foreign cast and crew stayed during the shoot, with the hotel mainly served as the setting for a business tower, as well as the characters' homes and offices. [5] Filming ultimately concluded on 29 August. [26]

Release

Weekend in Taipei had its world premiere at Vieshow Cinemas Xinyi in Taipei, Taiwan on 1 September 2024, [27] followed by a theatrical release in France and Taiwan on 25 September. [28] [8] The film will be subsequently released on 8 November in North America. [15]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards</span> Taiwanese film festival and awards ceremony

The Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival and Taipei Golden Horse Awards are a film festival and associated awards ceremony held annually in Taiwan. The festival and ceremony were founded in 1962 by the Government Information Office of the Republic of China (ROC) in Taiwan and is now run as an independent organisation. The awards ceremony is usually held in November or December in Taipei, although the event has also been held in other locations in Taiwan in recent times.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gwei Lun-mei</span> Taiwanese actress

Gwei Lun-mei is a Taiwanese actress. She started her acting career in 2002, with the film Blue Gate Crossing. Gwei then appeared in a few more films before achieving wide recognition for the film Secret, directed by Jay Chou, in which Gwei played the character of Lu Hsiao-yu.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White Terror (Taiwan)</span> Period of martial law and political repression in Taiwan

The White Terror was the political repression of Taiwanese civilians and political dissenters under the government ruled by the Kuomintang (KMT). The period of White Terror is generally considered to have begun when martial law was declared in Taiwan on 19 May 1949, which was enabled by the 1948 Temporary Provisions against the Communist Rebellion, and ended on 21 September 1992 with the repeal of Article 100 of the Criminal Code, allowing for the prosecution of "anti-state" activities. The Temporary Provisions were repealed a year earlier on 22 April 1991. Martial law had been lifted on 15 July 1987.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Li Hsing</span> Taiwanese film director (1930–2021)

Li Hsing or Lee Hsing (李行) was a Taiwanese film director. He was born Lee Tz-da (李子達) in 1930 in Shanghai and died in 2021. He made one of the early popular Taiwanese films in the late 1959, Wang and Liu Tour Taiwan (王哥柳哥遊台灣), though he did not speak Taiwanese. He was also the key director in the promotion of Healthy Realist film (健康寫實片) and Literary Romantic film (愛情文藝片). He was awarded the best director at Golden Horse Awards three times and had seven films awarded the best feature film: Beautiful Duckling, The Road, Execution in Autumn, Land of the Undaunted,, He Never Gives Up, The Story of a Small Town, and Good Morning, Taipei. After he made his last film The Heroic Pioneers, he vowed to be the lifetime volunteer for the promotion of development of Taiwan cinema. In 2009 he established the Cross-Strait Films Exchange Committee, which has been the main, if not only, organization promoting the interaction and cooperation of Taiwanese and Chinese filmmakers. Lee Hsing is often referred to as the “godfather of Taiwan cinema” for his great contribution to Taiwan cinema.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kai Ko</span> Taiwanese actor and singer

Kai Ko Chen-tung is a Taiwanese actor, singer and film director. Ko won Best New Actor at the 48th Golden Horse Awards and the 12th Chinese Film Media Awards for his starring role in the film You Are the Apple of My Eye, also his film debut. In November 2011, Ko released his debut studio album, Be Yourself. His career was derailed when he was arrested on drug charges in 2014, which led him to be banned in Mainland China.

Hsu Chi-chieh is a Taiwanese swimmer.

<i>Godspeed</i> (film) 2016 Taiwanese film

Godspeed is a 2016 Taiwanese black comedy road caper film written and directed by Chung Mong-hong and starring Michael Hui and Nadow. The film had its world premiere at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival on 14 September 2016 and was theatrically released in Taiwan on 18 November.

<i>Forêt Debussy</i> 2016 Taiwanese film

Forêt Debussy is a 2016 Taiwanese drama film written and directed by Kuo Cheng-chui. Starring Gwei Lun-mei and Lu Yi-ching, the film is about a mother who takes her daughter away from the city to the mountains to help her recover from a traumatic past.

<i>Beautiful Accident</i> 2017 Taiwanese film

Beautiful Accident is a 2017 Taiwanese comedy-drama film directed by Ho Wi Ding and co-produced by Chen Kun. The film stars Gwei Lun-mei, Chen Kun, Wang Jingchun, Ouyang Nana, and William Wang. It is a remake of the 2015 South Korean film Wonderful Nightmare.

<i>On Happiness Road</i> 2017 Taiwanese film

On Happiness Road is a 2017 Taiwanese animated film written and directed by Sung Hsin-yin, her directoral debut. The film is based on her own animated short of the same name which won start-up funding at the Golden Horse Awards in 2013. It was screened at the Busan International Film Festival on October 15, 2017, and saw a theatrical release in Taiwan on January 5, 2018. The film has won numerous awards, including Best Feature Film during the 2018 Tokyo Anime Award Festival, Best Animation Feature at the 2018 Golden Horse Awards, as well as Grand Prize, Best Animation, and Audience Choice Award at the 2018 Taipei Film Festival, and was also submitted for nomination to the 2018 Academy Awards in the Animated Feature Film category. The theme song was sung by pop star Jolin Tsai.

Hou Chi-jan is a Taiwanese director and writer. His works are often related to historical memories.

<i>A Leg</i> 2020 Taiwanese film

A Leg is a 2020 Taiwanese dark romantic comedy drama film co-written and directed by Chang Yao-sheng, produced and co-written by Chung Mong-hong and starring Gwei Lun-mei and Tony Yang. The film was the opening film at the 2020 Golden Horse Film Festival on November 5, 2020. It screened at several film festivals including Tokyo International Film Festival and Hong Kong Asian Film Festival, and it was officially released in Taiwan on December 24, 2020. It received 4 nominations at the 57th Golden Horse Awards, including Best Original Screenplay, Best Leading Actress for Gwei, Best Supporting Actor for Michael, Best Makeup & Costume Design.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">T1 League</span> Taiwanese professional basketball league

The T1 League was a professional basketball league in Taiwan. It was the third Taiwanese professional basketball league after the now-defunct Chinese Basketball Alliance and P. League+.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caitlin Fang</span> Taiwanese actress (born 2006)

Caitlin Fang is a Taiwanese actress. She won the Golden Horse Award for Best New Performer and the Taipei Film Award for Best New Talent for her role in the film American Girl (2021). In 2022, at age 16, Fang became the youngest actor to receive nominations for all three acting awards from Golden Horse Award; namely, Best Leading Actress, Best New Performer and Best Supporting Actress − with the former two for American Girl and the latter for The Post-Truth World (2022).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hsieh Hsin-Ying</span> Taiwanese actress

Hsieh Hsin-Ying, also known as Nikki Hsieh is a Taiwanese actress and model. Her works have expanded in different realms, including advertising, movies,and TV series. She appeared in the movies including Make Up, i WEiRDO, and The Assassin. As for the TV shows, she participated in Light the Night, Love @ Seventeen, and Meet Me @ 1006. In 2006, she participated in Reflections and won the 43rd Golden Horse Award for the Best Supporting Actress.

Lu Lu-ming, also known as Luming Lu, is a Taiwanese film score composer. He won Best Original Film Song with the horror film Detention (2019) in the 56th Golden Horse Awards and Best Original Film Score with the drama film The Falls (2021) in the 58th Golden Horse Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oscar Chiu</span> Taiwanese actor

Oscar Chiu is a Taiwanese actor best known for his roles as Tony in Story in Taipei (2017) and Kevin Zhang in The Teacher (2019). He was nominated for Best New Performer in the 56th Golden Horse Awards with the latter role.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eleven Yao</span> Taiwanese actress

Eleven Yao Yi-ti is a Taiwanese actress best known for her dual roles as Shanny and Hsiao Ching in the black comedy film The Gangs, the Oscars, and the Walking Dead (2019), for which she won Best Supporting Actress in the 22nd Taipei Film Awards. She went on to star in lead roles in the television series Code 2 (2019) and More Than Blue: The Series (2022), the latter earning her a nomination for Best Supporting Actress in the 57th Golden Bell Awards. Yao has also garnered recognition in Asia for her performances in the Japanese crime film Mr. Long (2017) and Korean action film Yaksha: Ruthless Operations (2022).

Patrick Chou Yi-hsien is a Taiwanese cinematographer best known for his frequent collaborations with filmmaker Giddens Ko. He won Best Cinematography in the 14th Taipei Film Awards with the drama film Young Dudes (2012) and Best Cinematography for a Drama Series in the 55th Golden Bell Awards with Netflix crime series Nowhere Man (2019).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patrick Lee (actor)</span> Taiwanese actor

Patrick Lee Pei-hsu is a Taiwanese actor. He began his career on television and rose to prominence with his roles as Hao Kangde in The Fierce Wife (2010) and Shi Te-long in Office Girls (2011–12), followed by a lead role as Nakamura Kouhei in the period drama series Haru (2015). He has also appeared in the Singaporean crime series Gifted (2018), and is set to star in the upcoming French action film Weekend in Taipei (2024).

References

  1. 1 2 3 "兌現10年承諾《周末在台北》大動作勘景　台北市長蔣萬安歡迎國際影人全力支持拍攝". Taipei Film Commission (in Chinese). 10 February 2023. Archived from the original on 7 April 2024. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 Massoto, Erick (1 August 2024). "'Weekend In Taipei' Trailer Reunites Two 'Fast & Furious' Stars [Exclusive]". Collider . Archived from the original on 31 July 2024. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
  3. 1 2 Lee, Charlotte (30 August 2024). "Taiwan-filmed 'Weekend in Taipei' to hold red carpet event". Taiwan News . Retrieved 23 September 2024.
  4. 1 2 "《台北追緝令》看點有哪些？台灣場景變好萊塢、盧貝松式的幽默融入劇情！". Marie Claire (in Chinese). 23 September 2024. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
  5. 1 2 3 "《台北追緝令》赫見熟面孔　陸弈靜庹宗康與李沛旭一起打入國際市場". Mirror Media (in Chinese). 10 September 2024. Archived from the original on 11 September 2024. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  6. ↑ 陳慧貞 (23 September 2024). "李沛旭參演盧貝松監製「台北追緝令」 歸零扮幫派老大". World Journal (in Chinese). Retrieved 23 September 2024.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 Frater, Patrick; Keslassy, Elsa (21 June 2023). "Luke Evans, Gwei Lun-mei to Star in Taipei-Set Action Thriller From Europacorp (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety . Archived from the original on 3 July 2023. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
  8. 1 2 "盧貝松《台北追緝令》預告曝光！全片台灣拍攝，男神路克伊凡斯、韓哥、桂綸鎂一同演出". Marie Claire (in Chinese). 1 August 2024. Archived from the original on 2 August 2024. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
  9. ↑ 魯皓平 (2 September 2024). "《台北追緝令》拍出超乎想像的台灣風景！好萊塢大場面飛車追逐令人驚豔". Global Views Monthly (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 4 September 2024. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  10. 1 2 3 "《台北追緝令》盧貝松展現台灣風光：台北101、西門町、中山堂等名景躍上銀幕！". United Daily News (in Chinese). 14 August 2024. Archived from the original on 26 August 2024. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  11. 1 2 蕭采薇 (10 September 2024). "盧貝松10年前留下好印象！　新作《台北追緝令》全片台灣取景「讓世界看見」". ETtoday (in Chinese). Retrieved 21 September 2024.
  12. 1 2 Strong, Matthew (11 February 2023). "French producer Virginie Besson, director Olivier Megaton plan Taipei film". Taiwan News . Archived from the original on 2 August 2024. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
  13. 1 2 Grobar, Matt (22 March 2024). "Luke Evans Actioner 'Weekend In Taipei' Produced By Luc Besson's EuropaCorp Acquired By Ketchup Entertainment". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on 10 April 2024. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
  14. ↑ Scanlan, Sean (8 August 2023). "'Fast Furious' star arrives for a new film project in Taipei". Taiwan News . Retrieved 2 August 2024.
  15. 1 2 Cassio, Jerome (2 August 2024). "Weekend In Taipei Trailer: 2 Fast & Furious Franchise Stars Reunite In New Action Movie". Screen Rant . Archived from the original on 2 August 2024. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
  16. ↑ "《台北追緝令》桂綸鎂化身飛車手　姜成鎬與路克伊凡斯為愛大戰". Mirror Media (in Chinese). 1 August 2024. Archived from the original on 2 August 2024. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
  17. ↑ Chiang, Michelle (19 June 2023). "Luke Evans to film Luc Besson's movie in Taipei". Radio Taiwan International . Archived from the original on 24 June 2023. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
  18. ↑ 葉冠吟 (18 June 2023). "盧貝松再取景台灣 男主角路克伊凡斯現身台北". China News Service (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 7 April 2024. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
  19. ↑ 熊景玉 (10 February 2023). "盧貝松監製妻來台勘景　約定蔣萬安《週末在台北》". Mirror Media (in Chinese). Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  20. ↑ 陳嘉玲 (15 July 2023). "捕獲野生「韓哥」！復活後與「歐文蕭」來台逛夜市　Janet作陪". Mirror Media (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 20 September 2024. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  21. ↑ 熊景玉 (1 August 2023). "【獨家】【大明星踩點台灣】盧貝松挺肚指揮　路克伊凡斯外木山拍飛車直擊". Mirror Media (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 17 April 2024. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  22. ↑ 麥恩 (25 September 2024). "幕後｜《台北追緝令》原本是香港追緝令，大武崙漁港是電影人夢寐以求的景色". Public Television Service (in Chinese). Retrieved 2 October 2024.
  23. ↑ 熊景玉 (22 August 2023). "【獨家】【街邊看好戲】內心戲難不倒影后　桂綸鎂10分鐘收服盧貝松". Mirror Media (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 1 October 2023. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  24. ↑ "壹蘋10點強打｜10小時貼身跟拍！盧貝松台北暴雨收工　韓哥曝菸槍本色（狗仔直擊）". Apple Daily (in Chinese). 24 August 2023. Archived from the original on 7 April 2024. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
  25. ↑ Kuo, Tigre (3 September 2024). "桂綸鎂突破性演出，韓哥、盧貝松大讚來台真對！《台北追緝令》讓好萊塢看到台北魅力". Prestige Hong Kong (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 20 September 2024. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  26. ↑ "《台北追緝令》盧貝松攜桂綸鎂、姜成鎬與粉絲互動 台北見面會盛況空前". United Daily News (in Chinese). 3 September 2024. Archived from the original on 20 September 2024. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  27. ↑ 江昭倫 (22 August 2024). "台灣團隊拍《台北追緝令》獲盛讚 有一點連盧貝松也喊神奇". Radio Taiwan International (in Chinese). Retrieved 26 August 2024.
  28. ↑ "Plus fort que Jason Statham ? Cet acteur cogne dur dans la bande-annonce du film d'action Week-end à Taipei". AlloCiné (in French). 1 August 2024. Archived from the original on 8 August 2024. Retrieved 7 August 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.