KatieLeung Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Before Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter fans were getting anxious to see who would play Cho Chang in the wizardly series of films. Katie Leung nabbed the honor and jumped into a pretty huge first film. Of course, she's also back for the second, next month's Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. She has to be, because Harry is finally getting some hot lip action. However, don't expect her to be seen through the rest of the series like other supporting cast members. Wait! Before you go damning Leung for turning her back on the Potter series, it's not because of disinterest. She was asked by the Telegraph whether she thinks she'll be in the next film. Her answer: "I don't think so. Cho's mentioned briefly in the books, but they try to cram so much into the films that I don't think there'll be room for her."

Seeing that Leung has no other work on the horizon yet, I'd hope that they'd at least have her face pop up here or there. One of the best things about this series is that it hasn't been plagued with actors leaving. We've watched both the main and secondary kids grow up on-screen, which has helped the flow and reality of the films. But this does bring up an interesting question: will some characters fade away from the screen as the filmmakers struggle to fit more and more in? I can only imagine how much meat the final Deathly Hallows will have, and one of the easiest ways to make space is to expunge characters who aren't instrumental to the final showdown. But at the same time, you don't want to tick off fans by excluding their favorites. Would you be upset at the absence of Cho Chang, or any of the other wizard ensemble?

Man, all this stuff about more Mulan movies is confusing the hell out of me. It seems pretty solid that the Weinsteins are at least considering making a live-action film (listed in the IMDbPro as a 2008 release) about the Chinese folk hero (already brought to screen by Disney, albeit in animated form), and there's been talk that they've got Zhang Ziyi in mind to play the title role. In addition, though, there's also a China-based production in the works, that one under the direction of Stanley Tong. Where it all gets a bit muddled is in the reports about Zhang being asked to star in Tong's version, as well. So, is this a case of Tong trying to steal some Weinstein thunder, or of people in the media getting confused and assuming the films are one and the same? Your guess is as good as mine on that one.

That said, however, it now sounds as if the whole thing might be moot, because there are now other names in the mix for the starring role in the Tong film. Get this: First, it was reported that Li Yuchun, the wildly popular winner of a recent, girls-only American Idol-type show in China, would play Mulan. But now the speculation about Li has fallen quiet, and her name has been replaced by that of ... Katie Leung. That's right, the girl of Harry Potter's dreams -- the Scottish one -- is going to play Mulan. According to the Chinese press, anyway.

Don't like the news? Not to worry -- at this rate a new name will be connected to the part by Monday.

[via Twitch]

The Harry Potter cast, as we all know by now, is growing to the point of becoming dangerously costly. Chief among the new additions to the Potter-verse this year was young actress Katie Leung, who portrayed Potter crush Cho Chang. Fans are aware that the part of Cho will grow in the next film, which of course means we haven't seen the last of Leung in Wizardland. Apparently she impressed some people with her first foray into the realm of major motion pictures; Lueng has been nominated for the Outstanding Newcomer Award to be presented during the 2006 Asian Excellence Awards sponsored by AZN Television. Battlestar Galactica's Grace Park has also been nominated for the award.  The awards show will take place in late January.

What do you think, fans? Was Lueng impressive enough to merit an award? I don't know, honestly. She filled the part well--but frankly, there wasn't alot to the part and I don't think she did anything particularly spectacular. I don't mean that to be a criticism of her acting ability, I just think we'll probably have a better idea of her talent after the next film. Presuming, of course, that her part doesn't get cut down to mere moments of screen time. Thoughts?