Perfect storm

But at least they have the approval of the creator of Fung Wan himself.

"Ma was so pleased with the movie that he will be publishing a six-issue Fung Wan comic book entirely based on the movie, which he will be writing and drawing himself,"said Oxide.

The Pang brothers' previous films include the acclaimed horror movie, The Eye, and hit Thai crime thriller Bangkok Dangerous, both of which spawned Hollywood remakes (the latter was directed by the Pangs themselves).

According to them, there was never a question of Kwok and Cheng reprising their roles, despite the 11-year lapse between the two movies.

"Their portrayal of the characters in the first movie was such a success that we felt no one else could fit into those iconic roles," Oxide said.

Cheng and Kwok were happy to reprise their roles, though they agreed that their roles this time were vastly different. Cheng in particular had to spend more time in the makeup room in order to look the part of a demon warrior.

"My character turns evil in the movie, and I had to go through about three hours of makeup everyday so I could look the part," Cheng said. "I had also gained a lot of weight on a previous movie (before Storm Warriors), so I had to work out intensively to get back into shape."

"My character in this movie is more mature than the last, and the way he looks is also less cartoonish," said Kwok, who injured himself several times during the shoot.

"Once, when we were filming a scene with explosives, I was hit by a nail in the arm. I felt like being hit by a bullet," he recalled.

"Luckily, the doctor said that it was only a surface wound, and I could resume filming.

"We suffered a lot of injuries (during the shoot), but to me, it was all worth it."

While the response towards the movie has been generally positive so far, the Pang brothers will be sitting back to see how it performs at the box office before committing to making another Fung Wan movie.

"We (the directors and producers) have put all our money and faith into this movie. As of now, we have not decided whether we will be making another one, but if this one does well, then the chances would be quite high," said Danny.

"One thing is for sure though, if we do decide to make a third movie, the fans won't have to wait another 11 years for it!"

(Edit:Ruby)