Donnie carried away by classic remake zeal

It seems martial arts actor Donnie Yen Ji-dan spoke a bit prematurely when he suggested he was doing a remake of the Seven Samurai classic with Zhang Ziyi and George Clooney. According to the Weinstein Company's local rep Bey Logan, yes, they do want to do an update and there is an early script. However, nobody other than Yen is really attached to the project at the moment.

'When Donnie was in Cannes,' Logan explains, 'he met with Harvey Weinstein about potential projects and Harvey said with enthusiasm he was developing a remake of Seven Samurai and wanted him to do it with a top-notch cast. As examples of the talent level Weinstein was seeking he mentioned Ziyi and George. So I guess Donnie in his excitement repeated the names as if they were confirmed.

'The truth is we are developing this project but to date there is no offer, contract or negotiation with George Clooney. But we are definitely discussing it with Zhang's management. It's all still in the early stages.'