Confucius movie set for Asian release on Friday

Hong Kong top actor Chow Yun-Fat and award-winning actress Zhou Xun attended the January 18 premiere of China's much awaited film "Confucius" in Guangzhou, China. The biopic about the Chinese philosopher Confucius is set to release in China and Asia on Friday. Chow's new film will challenge director James Cameron's blockbuster "Avatar," which hit record highs at the box office on its opening day in China. Wearing ancient scholarly robes, Chow plays China's great philosopher who was denounced by Red Guards during the Cultural Revolution under Chairman Mao Zedong's rules. But his supreme status has been reaffirmed in recent years. "The plots in the film are related to our world like relationships between humans, nations and societies. If we translated the scripts into English and modernized his thoughts, I think foreigners would understand it," said Chow Yun-Fat. "It's my honor to be part of the movie. Now the film is completed and ready to release. My expectation for the movie has never changed since kicking off filming through until its release," said Zhou Xun. According to director Hu Mei, the 22 million yuan (US $3,222,121.43) government-backed movie is to celebrate the Chinese sage's 2,560th anniversary. She says she hopes the film will allow people to think over Confucius' legacy and theories which emphasize social harmony and respect. The epic film will show on 2,500 screens—that's half of all movie theatres in China. – AP