Liu Ye To Star In Peter Chan's 'Waiting'

 

Chinese actor Liu Ye ('City of Life and Death') has been cast in the leading role for Peter Chan's 'Waiting'. Adapted from the novel of the same name by contemporary Chinese-American author Ha Jin, the film is set in 1963 and revolves around the fortunes of 3 people: an army doctor, his wife and his girlfriend.

The original novel is based on a real-life story that Jin heard from his wife when they were visiting her family at an army hospital in China. During the early 1960's, a young country man by the name of Kong Lin is accepted to the Shenyang military medical college. Under heavy pressure, he obeys his parents and marries Shuyu, although the couple have to live apart because of the school's rules. After he graduates, Lin goes to work for a military hospital in Muji City where he falls in love with a nurse by the name of Manna Wu. However, his wife refuses to sign the divorce agreement so the couple are forced to remain together in secret. After waiting for 20 years, Shuyu finally gives in and they obtain a certificate of marriage. The book was published in 1999, and won the National Book Award the same year.

The two leading female roles in 'Waiting' are yet to be taken, but the current frontrunners are  Chinese actresses Zhou Xun and Fan Bingbing.

 

Liu Ye

 

Source: Chinese Films

Posted July 14, 2010