About six weeks ago, Variety reported that the Weinsteins planned to make three English-language Hong Kong action films in collaboration with producer/director Andrew Lau (Infernal Affairs) and TV producer Tony Krantz (24). Now we're learning that their Asian ambitions are much more expansive: they're launching a $285 million fund to "fully finance the development, production, acquisition, marketing and distribution of a large slate of Asian themed films over the next six years," according to a press release.

The Weinstein Co. will control worldwide distribution of a slate including "a diverse mix of theatrical and direct-to-video titles, which will mostly be filmed in Asia." The company "anticipates producing or acquiring a total of 21 theatrical titles and 10 direct-to-video titles during the term for the fund." The basic idea is that production costs are lower in Asia than in the US or Europe, allowing the films to "offer significant production value with a Western sensibility ... aimed both at performing well in the Asian territories of their origin and appealing to Western audiences." David Lee has been named to oversee the creative aspects of the fund.

Titles covered by the fund include the three pictures in the Lau/Krantz deal mentioned above, previously-announced films such as a live action version of Mulan, a "contemporary" remake (sigh) of The Seven Samurai, Forbidden Kingdom with Jackie Chan and Jet Li, plus Shanghai, an action epic set during World War II, and an untitled project starring Tony Jaa (Ong Bak). Divide $285 million by 31 titles, and that's not very much money for each film, which would indicate they will be making full use of less-expensive Asian talent both behind and in front of the camera. The Weinsteins are infamous for meddling with Asian films, so we'll have to wait to see how independent -- and how "Asian themed" -- these films really are.

[ Via indieWIRE ]

If you thought that DVD's effect on film preservation and restoration was minimal -- or only for hard-core film nerds -- think again: CNN.com is running an excellent piece (including before-and-after comparisons of individual frames) about the restoration of Criterion's new Seven Samurai DVD that does a great job of articulating the challenges of repairing a classic -- without completely altering it, or falling into the abyss where the perfect becomes the enemy of the good. Criterion Technical director Lee Kline is quoted as saying "For the most part, you wish you had a few more weeks ... people are used to pristine. But if we did that, we'd never get it out." Has DVD made people expect perfection? And can you make an older film 'perfect' without losing its soul? I for one love the Criterion Samurai, right down to the flaws and scratches that remain -- but are there film fans out there who, in this bit-heavy, high-def day and age, would turn off a film that offered anything less than perfect image quality, regardless of how great the story is?

We reported last week on the big, three-picture deal that The Weinstein Company was working on with Zhang Ziyi and, though the story was initially debunked, its subsequent appearance in all the trades seems to confirm that there is indeed something in works. Though all of the TWC-Zhang collaborations are yet to be revealed, one, as we've discussed with much dismay, is a remake of Seven Samurai, and the other is reportedly a live-action film about Mulan, the Chinese folk hero brought to the screen in animated form by Disney in 1998.

According to Screen Daily, though, TWC is not alone with Mulan -- Stanley Tong (Mmm ... Rumble in the Bronx) is reportedly working on a movie of his own, entitled The Legend of Mulan, which he plans to start shooting with Chinese backing this fall. Though it's unlikely it would ever get a proper release over here, Tong's film, which will shoot in both China and Canada, is expected to wrap by February of 2007, which will probably have it in theaters well before TWC's version.

Odds and ends from Friday/Saturday:

• An interesting trio of stars have lined up to play roles in The Take, to be directed by Brad Furman. According to Production Weekly, John Leguizamo, Rosie Perez and Tyrese Gibson are attached to the heist flick, which was penned by siblings Josh and Jonas Pete. Story will surround a security guard (Leguizamo) who gets caught up in a carefully orchestrated heist. While recovering from the dramatic event, he learns the FBI and police are targeting him as their prime suspect. Damn, talk about a guy that deserves a pay raise.
• While I'm sure Martha is still holding out hope the Weinstein's remake of Akira Kurosawa's classic Seven Samurai will mysteriously disappear and never happen ... like, ever, it does appear everything is going forward as planned since a scribe has now been attached. Screenwriter John Fusco (Hidalgo, Young Guns) has been tapped to bring a little bit of the American west to 16th Century Japan. Seeing as Kurosawa originally used the Western for inspiration during Samurai, this seems like a logical choice. Whether or not the remake should happen in the first place? Well, that's a debate I'm sure will heat up as time goes on.
• Those of you who have been waiting for a sequel to the comedy classic Animal House may get a chance to see the whole thing play out in real life. Authorities recently raided the Alpha Delta fraternity house that inspired the1978 hit film. Located at Dartmouth College, police confiscated a computer, videotapes and two sledgehammers. Though no one is saying what this is all about (and if Alpha Delta is now on double secret probation), the police chief did note that it was not drug related. Animal House scribe, Chris Miller, was a member of the same fraternity when he graduated from Dartmouth in 1964 and later used his experience to help create the wonderful characters we've grown to love over the years.  

According to Zhang Ziyi, she's signed an old-school-style studio deal with The Weinstein Company to star in three films that they'll produce. In addition the rather horrifying-sounding remake of Seven Samurai (And people, The brilliance of The Magnificent Seven is in now way a vote in favor of this new remake -- if anything, it's another reason not to do it. I mean, that lightning is just NOT going to strike twice.) in which she's allegedly slated to share the screen with Donnie Yen and George Clooney, Zhang is also penciled-in to star in a period drama about Chinese folk heroine Mulan (yes, you've heard of her).

The subject of the third film has not yet been revealed, but I'm still completely confused by this whole deal. Do contracts like this actually exist anymore, or is Zhang just lumping three different deals into a single conversation for some reason?

According to reports from China that are now making their ways to the US, The Weinstein Company is planning a remake of Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai. Because, you know, it REALLY needs improvement -- what is with that black and white crap, anyway? And who wants to read subtitles? Sigh. A loose-lipped representative of Mandarin Films claims that Hong Kong action star Donnie Yen met with Harvey Weinstein at Cannes about starring in the film, and that both Zhang Ziyi and well-known Asian actor George Clooney have been approached as well. Who on earth would Clooney play? A white-guy farmer who moved to the village after the original movie was over, or something?

According to Monkey Peaches, the movie will be "slightly updated," and will feature lots of fun, "CGI-enhanced fight scenes." Though wire reports indicate the film's budget is unknown, the Asian press is throwing around a cost of about $100 million. Of course, how true any of this is remains very much up in the air -- personally, I expect a strongly worded denial for TWC any minute now.