In 1992, when Golden Harvest Film Company bought the remake rights of the famous Japanese manga "City Hunter", it did not expect that the final director would be Wang Jing.
Because Wang Jing was busy preparing for the second part of the "Deer and Ding" series of movies at that time, he had already gained fame and fortune, so he was not too interested in the project of "City Hunter" at first.
However, when he learned that the actor was set to be Jackie Chan, he immediately changed his mind.
As the "pioneer" of the Hong Kong film industry back then, Wang Jing is very aware of the value of Jackie Chan's golden signboard. From "Police Story" to "Thunderbolt", Jackie Chan has conquered the hearts of countless fans with his good skills and humor.
Therefore, as long as Jackie Chan joins, the commercial value and gold-absorbing ability of this film are beyond doubt. After all, Jackie Chan is a guarantee of the global box office.
So, Wang Jing happily accepted Golden Harvest's invitation to be the director. He decided to put down "The Legend of Deer and Ding 2" and go all out to devote himself to the filming of "City Hunter". Wang Jing knows very well that Jackie Chan's name is his biggest capital.
With such a popular superstar in charge, it is not difficult for "City Hunter" to sell well. Therefore, we can see that the joining of Jackie Chan has changed Wang Jing's decision-making to a large extent and has become the key to his choice to direct this commercial blockbuster.
When "City Hunter" officially started filming, Wang Jing put forward a bold idea - to make the female character "Chunli" in Jackie Chan's cosplay game.
This setting instantly made Jackie Chan extremely stunned, he didn't expect Wang Jing to come to such a hand at all. In Jackie Chan's view, this is simply a stain on his screen image.
It's unacceptable that a super action star, a big man, should be dressed up as a coquettish hot girl.
Jackie Chan had mixed feelings in his heart and strongly opposed Wang Jing's setting. He worries that this will seriously affect the fan base he has accumulated over the years. Will fans still accept a "sister" Jackie Chan with heavy makeup? Or will they boo wildly in the movie theater and then turn away? Jackie Chan himself didn't dare to think about it.
In addition, he is also worried that this kind of image subversion will make the audience impress him. A real man actually wore a blue mini skirt and painted flaming red lips, which was simply a fantasy in the Hong Kong film industry at that time.
However, at this point, the investors of "City Hunter" have already paid a huge amount of money. If Jackie Chan withdraws at this time, then all the investment in the early stage will be wasted.
For the interests behind this project and the hard work of the staff, Jackie Chan had to accept this role painfully. When he put on a well-designed costume and stood in front of the mirror, Jackie Chan's heart couldn't help but turn upside down.
He fought back his shame and tried to get into the groove.
After filming a scene of "Chunli", Jackie Chan was extremely angry at Wang Jing's decision. He thinks that Wang Jing has completely failed to respect his feelings as a popular superstar, and has ruined the heroic image he has built for many years.
The differences and contradictions between the two men have further intensified.
After that, Wang Jing teamed up with two other directors to shoot a movie called "Rat Guts". The film jokingly broadcasts the fact that Jackie Chan often uses stand-ins through a martial arts master who is afraid of rats.
It can be seen that this is Wang Jing's sarcasm and revenge on Jackie Chan. By portraying Jackie Chan as a martial arts actor who has no strength and relies on stand-ins to get by, Wang Jing wants to humiliate his old rival.
However, what Wang Jing didn't expect was that the response to "Rat's Guts" was very enthusiastic after its release, not only selling well in Hong Kong, but also entering the overseas market and becoming a great success.
This undoubtedly made Jackie Chan's face gloomy. Although he hurriedly held a press conference to defend himself, he still couldn't hide the embarrassment of being caught by Wang Jing.
At the same time, American actor Gary Daniels was impressed by the dedication of Hong Kong filmmakers on the set of "City Hunter". He was originally a loyal fan of Jackie Chan, and this time he was fortunate to cooperate with his idol, which can be said to have fulfilled his dream for many years.
However, during the filming process, the strict lens requirements and meticulous details still made Gary sincerely admire. This gave him a strong incentive to continue his career in Hollywood.
In 1993, "City Hunter" was finally officially released. The film tells the story of two city hunters played by Jackie Chan and Gary Daniels, who have a fierce showdown in a fictional city in Asia.
Although the two superstars were at odds and the set was full of gunpowder, this did not affect the enthusiastic response of the film at the box office. City Hunter topped the weekly box office in Hong Kong and Taiwan in its first week of release, and soon after entering the mainland and overseas markets, it grossed a total of more than $30 million and was a huge success.
It seems that Wang Jing's decision to let Jackie Chan dress up as "Chunli" is wise. This scene, which is both sensational and thrilling, successfully pushed the duel between the two action superstars to a climax and became the biggest highlight of the movie.
Especially when Jackie Chan, dressed in exaggerated costumes and heavy makeup, appeared on the screen, the visual impact was impressive. This also made him a very impactful screen image, laying the foundation for a broader film career in the future.
Therefore, this paragraph has also become a classic famous scene, which is deeply loved by the post-80s and post-90s audiences. Every time this scene appears, there will be warm applause and cheers in the cinema.
So, although Jackie Chan was strongly opposed to playing the role of "Chunli" at the time, it turned out to be a very successful image breakthrough and business operation. Not only did it make him more popular among young people, but it also gave City Hunter itself more attention.
There is no longer a possibility between Jackie Chan and Wang Jing, but the brilliant achievements of this film are their eternal common wealth.
Although there were irreconcilable differences between Jackie Chan and Wang Jing during the filming of "City Hunter", the success of this film still achieved the common professional glory of the two.
Not only did it achieve great commercial success, but it also became a classic of action movies because of the popular "Chunli" clip.
It can be said that "City Hunter" is an important turning point in Jackie Chan's career. This bold breakthrough in the image has allowed him to gain a broader space for development, and has also further enhanced his box office charm.
For Wang Jing, this is also another masterpiece in his commercial film career. "City Hunter" will undoubtedly become an eternal shared memory in both men's careers.
Although there have been contradictions between them, the brilliance of this movie is an indelible common wealth for both parties. It heralds even brighter prospects for the filmmaking careers of the two.