"The Deer and the Cauldron" will be made into a movie trilogy directed by Hong Kong director Pang Ho-cheung

According to foreign media Variety, Jin Yong's novel The Deer and the Cauldron will return to the big screen in the form of a trilogy, directed by Hong Kong director Pang Ho-cheung. This will be Pang Ho-cheung's first time directing a costume film.

The three films will be shot back to back, with a tentative budget of US$80 million (nearly RMB 500 million) for each, and will begin production in mid-2019. The first film is expected to be released in 2021.

The film will be produced by Pang Ho-cheung's own production company. The film's international publicity and investment will be handled by Bafos Films, which is promoting it at the Berlin Film Festival. The cast of actors who will play roles such as "Wei Xiaobao" has not yet been announced.

Variety described the popularity of The Deer and the Cauldron in China as comparable to the Harry Potter and Game of Thrones series. The report described Pang Ho-cheung as "one of the most talented and unique directors to emerge from Hong Kong in recent years, with first-class traditional filmmaking skills, but often working in a pioneering independent way."

The Deer and the Cauldron has been adapted into TV dramas many times before. Three of them were adapted into movies, the most famous of which was the 1992 version starring Stephen Chow (2 episodes); seven were adapted into TV dramas, the most familiar of which were the 1998 version starring Jordan Chan and the 2000 version starring Dicky Cheung. The 1984 TVB version had the most luxurious cast, with Tony Leung playing Wei Xiaobao and Andy Lau playing the emperor.