Jackie Chan, Jet Li Badmouth Joint Hollywood Project Forbidden Kingdom

ackie Chan says the new Hollywood action movie he shot with Jet Li ``isn't great,'' a news report said Tuesday, while Li said in his blog that fans should not have overly high expectations for the film.

     ``The Forbidden Kingdom,'' which finished shooting in China last month, has been eagerly anticipated because it marks the first on-screen collaboration between Chan and Li _ kung fu cinema's two biggest stars.

     But the two actors have been playing down the film's potential appeal to Chinese viewers, saying it is targeted at a U.S. audience.

     A news report carried on the Web site of China's state-run Xinhua News Agency quoted Chan as saying, ``The movie I just shot with Jet Li, 'The Forbidden Kingdom,' actually isn't that great.''

     Chan was speaking at a news conference in the northeastern Chinese city of Changchun on Sunday, Xinhua said.

     ``'The Forbidden Kingdom' is a movie made for Americans,'' the report quoted Chan as saying. ``Chinese viewers may not like it. If I say it's a good movie now, then many people will be filled with overly high expectations and be disappointed when they see the movie.''

     Solon So, a spokesman for Chan, said Tuesday that the action star could not immediately be reached to confirm the remarks.

     Separately, Li made similar remarks, seen on Li's Web site on Tuesday.

     ``I hope everyone uses an open mind to watch 'The Forbidden Kingdom' and not invest too much expectation into my fight scenes with Jackie Chan,'' he said.

     ``The Forbidden Kingdom'' is about an American teenager's fantasy journey to ancient China to rescue a mythological monkey king. The idea for the film originates from the classic Chinese novel ``Journey to the West,'' in which a monkey king, a pig and a friar guard a Buddhist monk in search of religious texts.

     Li plays the monkey king and a silent monk, while Chan plays another monk called T'sa-Ho. Redirecting to http://goldsea.com. Redirecting to http://goldsea.com.
Tue September 18, 2007 04:34 EDT
MIN LEE AP Entertainment Writer HONG KONG

Jackie Chan, left, and Jet Li attend a press conference for the movie "The Forbidden Kingdom" at the Hengdian World Studios in Hengdian, eastern China's Zhejiang province. (AP Photo/Color China Photo, File)

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     ``After all, this is a story about an American child's dream 'Journey to the West' created by American producers and American scriptwriters. We may have to look at many elements in the movie from a different angle,'' Li was quoted as saying.

     Chan has been known to be blase about his Hollywood work. He said in a 2005 interview with The Associated Press that he uses the high salary he earns in the U.S. to fund Chinese-language projects that he's truly interested in.

     Before shooting on ``The Forbidden Kingdom'' started, he told reporters, ``I don't have any expectations. It's just making an American movie.''

     ``I believe the world is anticipating the movie, but I'm not too involved,'' Chan also said at the time.