Yu Shaoqun, Louis Koo and Liu Yifei star in Wilson Yip's upcoming remake. Photo: Zhang Yu

By Xu Liuliu

Hong Kong director Wilson Yip's remake of the classic comedy-horror film A Chinese Ghost Story (1987) started shooting in Beijing last week.

Starring Louis Koo, Yu Shaoqun and actress Liu Yifei, the movie is Yip's latest project to follow in the wake of his successful sequel to the kungfu blockbuster Ip Man.

Yip told reporters at a press conference to mark the beginning of production that he aims to put his own spin on the movie's otherwise familiar story, and that he looked forward to tackling the period costumes required by the production.

"I want to reaffirm that the new movie will not just be a copy of the original," Yip told the Global Times. "We choose to re-tell the story of Nie Xiaoqian by Pu Songling, and will adapt the structure of the story and roles as required. But it will be a brand new story and will employ computer-generated special effects."

The short story Nie Xiaoqian, originally from Pu Songling's Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio, tells the story of a tax collector, Ning Caichen, and a ghost named Nie Xiaoqian who fall in love.

The story has been the basis of many film adaptations in the past, the most well known directed by Tsui Hark and starring Leslie Cheung and Joey Wong.

Yu Shaoqun, known for playing the young Peking opera master "Mei Lanfang" in Forever Enthralled, is set to play the role originally portrayed by Leslie Cheung. Liu Yifei of The Forbidden Kingdom will play Joey Wong's original role, and Louis Koo will play Yan Chixia, the tax collector looking for the ghost of Ning.

When pressed to provide specific details regarding the plot line of his intended remake, Yip refused to budge on divulging much of anything and merely said, "You will know everything as soon as the movie hits screens."