Archive #2 (March 1, 2002 - March 17, 2002) | click to go back to current news | click to go back to archived news

(March 17, 2002)  ACTION FIGURES | CAST PARTY
An article in DSN Retailing Today (February 11, 2002; p.39) mentions MGM Consumer Products' plans on producing action figures for Bulletproof Monk.  It  also mentions a Summer 2003 release date for the movie.  Prior to this, all I've been hearing is a Christmas 2002 release.  However, since this movie does look like a huge production and has been compared with The Matrix, a Summer 2003 release does seem quite possible (considering the number of special effects that will have to be completed).

"The perennial appeal of martial arts films is something MGM Consumer Products will look to leverage, while putting together a licensing package for "Bulletproof Monk" a martial arts adventure that will star Chow YunFat and is scheduled for a summer 2003 release.  "It's based on a popular comic book and we're looking at products that target young males," said Lisa Avent, VP of licensing for MGM Consumer Products."

A photo of Seann William Scott and co-star Victoria Smurfit appeared in the Toronto Star's Star Gazing column last Sunday (March 10).  The photo was taken at the Bulletproof Monk cast party which was held the Thursday before the movie's first shoot date (March 7) at the Young Thailand restaurant in Toronto.
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(March 12, 2002)  NEW CAST INFO
Dark Horizons reported yesterday that Japanese actor Mako (Pearl Harbor) has joined the cast of Bulletproof Monk.  UpcomingMovies.com also reported awhile ago that Czech actor Karel Rodin (15 Minutes) has joined the cast as "Struker", an evil kung fu master.  Internet Movie Database reports that Irish actress Victoria Smurfit has joined the cast as "Nina".

(March 10, 2002)  BULLETPROOF MONK BEGINS FILMING IN TORONTO | COMIC BOOK RE-RELEASE INFO
Bulletproof Monk has begun filming this weekend in Toronto.  The film will be shot in Toronto for the next 3 months, with an expected wrap date of June 4, 2002.

As reported before, Image Comics is re-releasing all three issues of the original Bulletproof Monk comic book as one single issue.  The special re-release will have an introduction by John Woo (whose production company Lion Rock Productions produces the upcoming movie).  The comic book is expected to hit store shelves in May 2002.

(March 8, 2002)  MARCUS JEAN PIRAE JOINS CAST OF BULLETPROOF MONK | FILMING BEGINS TOMORROW
According to Variety, Marcus Jean Pirae has joined the cast of Bulletproof Monk as the leader of a street posse that pacts with the monk (Chow Yun-Fat) and his student (Seann William Scott) to fight an evil gang.  Checking the Internet Movie Database, Marcus Jean Pirae has only appeared in one other film, Nothing To Declare.
(thanks to Comics2Film for the info)

Bulletproof Monk begins shooting tomorrow (March 9) in Toronto.  The cast has already been spotted in Toronto.  According to the Star Gazing column in the Toronto Star last Sunday, Chow Yun-Fat, Seann William Scott, & James King have all been spotted dining around the Yorkville area of downtown Toronto this past week.
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(March 1, 2002)  BULLETPROOF MONK SHOOT-DATE | COMIC BOOK RE-RELEASE
Sources working on the Bulletproof Monk film-shoot in Toronto report that the movie will indeed begin shooting on March 9, 2002 and aim for completion on June 4, 2002.  The entire movie is set to be shot in Toronto.

The 3-part comic book Bulletproof Monk (which the movie is based on) was released back in 1999 by Image Comics and Flypaper Press.  The company is planning on re-releasing all three issues in one single graphic novel in the next few months.  Amazon.com lists it as coming out in April 2002, 96 pages, and at a cost of $9.95US.