While it has received green light for release in Asia, Will Smith's new horror movie still has to wait on the approval given by the executives on China's film industry.
- Dec 8, 2007
AceShowbiz - Words are spreading that the release date of "I Am Legend" in China is yet to be settled. Associated Press reported that Will Smith, the star of the sci-fi thriller, has met with Han Sanping, the chairman of China Film Group in order to fix the movie's release date.
According to reports, the prolonging happens because in their effort to improve their domestic film industry, China has imposed a three-month temporary ban on American movies. However, on Thursday, December 6, an executive from China Film Group denied the banning rumor stating that they are still reviewing Hollywood movies.
On the same day in Hong Kong, Smith revealed, "We struggled very, very hard to try to get it to work out, but there are only a certain amount of foreign films that are allowed in." Meanwhile, though still struggling to secure the release date in China, "I Am Legend" has already got approval to be released in Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, South Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand.
The Francis Lawrence's movie is based on the novel by Richard Matheson. It tells a story about a scientist who struggles to survive in the world that has been infected by incurable virus. Prior to the making of "I Am Legend", Matheson's novel has been adapted for "The Last Man on Earth" (1964) and for "The Omega Man" (1971).
