Trinity CineAsia has acquired Hong Kong tentpole The Goldfinger for the UK and Ireland after striking a deal with Emperor Motion Pictures.
The crime drama will reunite Hong Kong superstars Andy Lau and Tony Leung with writer/director Felix Chong for the first time since 2002’s Infernal Affairs. That film, co-written by Chong and directed by Lau and Alan Mak, spawned a trilogy of films and inspired Martin Scorsese’s 2006 Oscar-winning crime thriller The Departed.
UK-based Trinity CineAsia will theatrically release The Goldfinger in UK and Irish cinemas on December 30, co-ordinated with the opening of the film in several key territories including Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, North America and Canada.
The feature is understood to have a budget of $45m (HK$350m), making it one of the most expensive films ever made in Hong Kong.
Set primarily in the 1980s, it follows the rise and fall of a multi-billion-dollar company and its chairman Cheng Yi-yan (Leung), who undergoes a 15-year investigation led by an elite anti-corruption investigator (Lau). The cast also include high-profile actors Simon Yam and Charlene Choi.
It marks Leung’s return to Hong Kong cinema after 2018’s Monster Hunt 2 and Europe Raiders, having more recently made his Hollywood debut in Marvel superhero film Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings. Lau’s recent credits include Shock Wave 2, The Wandering Earth II and The Movie Emperor, which premiered at Toronto last month and was set as the closing film of Busan.
The Goldfinger is co-produced by Emperor Motion Pictures (Beijing), Emperor Film Production and Tianjin Maoyan Culture Media.
Trinity CineAsia has previously picked up hit titles from Emperor Motion Pictures such as Mama’s Affair, Everything Under Control and Raging Fire. Recent releases by the UK-based distributor include fantasy epic Creation Of The Gods I: Kingdom Of Storms, crime thriller Lost In The Stars, sci-fi The Wandering Earth II and crime thriller No More Bets, which has made more than $500m at the Chinese box office.
“We have been waiting for this moment for a long time,” said Trinity CineAsia managing director Cedric Behrel. “We intend to push [The Goldfinger] as far as we can go across UK and Irish cinemas. With its lavish period sets, costumes and true story of fraud and corruption, with two major international stars, it is the kind of cinematic film that can resonate with audiences.”
Emperor Motion Pictures is at the American Film Market (AFM) this week with a string of upcoming titles including Dante Lam’s Bursting Point, Herman Yau’s Customs Frontline and Alan Mak’s Under Current. It will also give a market debut to The Moon Thieves, an action-adventure feature directed by Yuen Kim Wai and starring members of popular Hong Kong boyband Mirror including Anson Lo, Edan Lui and Keung To.
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