Chow's Star Overseas set with Columbia collaboration

This is great news and should surprise no one given the massive success that Kung Fu Hustle was both parties involved [over $100 million grossed] Columbia Pictures Film Production Asia inked a multi-picture production deal with Hong Kong superstar Stephen Chow’s company The Star Overseas.

Under the new partnership the first project scheduled to start production in China this summer will be Jump – described as a hip-hop dance romcom. It will be directed by Stephen Fung [House of Fury and Enter the Phoenix] and is based on an original story by Chow. Jump will by produced by Chui Po Chu [Kung-fu Hustle and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon] and will star Kitty Zhang Yuqi [A Hope]. Jump is about a naïve farm girl who works as a cleaner at a dance school and by night she perfects her own hip hop martial arts dancing style. Do I see another Stephen Chow dance number in our future? Sony Pictures Releasing International will handle international distro for the film. They also have world rights for Chow's upcoming film A Hope.

"Asia is producing some of the most exciting new talent," Gareth Wigan, vice chairman of Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, said. "With Stephen's superb artisitic sensibilities and commercial instincts combined with Sony's distribution and marketing expertise, the prospects for this collaboration are extremely exciting." Translation for Sony = Cha-ching! Translation for Stephen Chow fans around the world = We get to see more films in our theatres and on DVD.

[source and source]