Director Wong Kar Wai’s upcoming martial arts flick The Grandmasters has been selected to open the 63rd Berlin International Film Festival, according to Deadline.

The acclaimed director’s forthcoming epic is one of the most highly-anticipated movies to come out of China is quite some time. The filmmaker has reportedly been working on his latest feature since around 1996.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, The Grandmaster will chronicle the life of the legendary Ip Man, who was the mentor to Bruce Lee. The film is presently slated to arrive in China on January 8, 2013. A North American release will likely take place next year.

Not surprisingly, director Wong Kar Wai was thrilled with the fact that The Grandmaster will open the Berlin Film Festival.

The filmmaker had this to say about the recent news:

“I am truly very honored by [Berlin Festival director] Dieter [Kosslick] and his invitation for my new film ‘The Grandmaster’ to participate in the 63rd Berlinale and to open the festival. This is a dream project for me that I had been developing for many years… I was already greatly looking forward to my returning to Berlin to serve as the President of the International Jury, so seeing ‘The Grandmaster’ presented there will make it all the more special for me.”

In addition to The Grandmaster, Wong Kar Wai is known for such motion pictures as Chungking Express, Happy Together, 2046, and, most recently, the 2007 romantic drama My Blueberry Nights with Jude Law and Natalie Portman.

The upcoming martial arts movie isn’t the only recent endeavor to tackle the life of the Ip Man. Action star Donnie Yen famously portrayed the kung fu master in Wilson Yip’s Ip Man and Ip Man 2. Director Herman Yau also covered this subject with his film The Legend is Born: Ip Man.

Director Wong Kar Wai’s The Grandmaster is set to open internationally next year.

Wong Kar Wai’s ‘The Grandmaster’ Slated To Open Berlin Film Festival is a post from: The Inquisitr