a href="/myfiles/Images/2014/04/23/li04_big.jpg" title="Poster of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." " Poster of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon."
WELLINGTON — A prequel to the Oscar-winning Chinese martial arts epic “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” will be shot in New Zealand this year, Film Auckland said Tuesday. The original movie, released in 2000, broke new ground in introducing Western audiences to Chinese cinema and Film Auckland's deputy chairman Alex Lee said securing the follow-up was a major coup for New Zealand. “Over the last 18 months it's been very quiet and it's nice we're finally getting traction,” he told Radio New Zealand. “It's a production that will require a vast number of resources, facilities, technicians and crew.” New Zealand is no stranger to big-budget movie shoots, providing stunning backdrops for both the “Lord of the Rings” and “Hobbit” trilogies. “Crouching Tiger” made US$213.5 million globally, according to industry website Box Office Mojo, including US$128 million in the United States — unprecedented at the time for a foreign language movie. — AP
