Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi, the female lead and a producer of the upcoming film Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, has pulled out of the project to focus on filming martial arts movie The Grand Master, reported Chinese media. According to reports, Zhang’s publicist Ji Lingling revealed this surprising news. Ji explained that Zhang was unable to juggle acting in Hong Kong director Wong Kar Wai’s The Grand Master, which is currently being filmed in northeastern China, with her role in Snow Flower and the Secret Fan. Zhang is not the only one pulling out: Korean actress Jeon Ji Hyun, who is slated to co-star with Zhang, and the male lead, said to be a member of the now defunct Taiwanese band F4, have also quit the project. The production team is considering casting Chinese actresses Li Bingbing, Fan Bingbing and Hong Kong actress Shu Qi as replacements. They have also begun actively searching for a new leading man in China, Japan and Korea. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, an English-language film adaptation of Lisa See’s novel of the same name, about the lifelong friendship between two women in 19th century China, was scheduled to begin production earlier this month but has been delayed for unspecified reasons. The film, helmed by American-Chinese director Wayne Wang, would have been Zhang’s second as a film producer. The 30-year-old actress produced her first film, the romantic comedy Sophie’s Revenge, last year. Zhang’s decision to quit the Snow Flower and the Secret Fan has sparked fresh rumours that it was the result of the fallout from her high-profile dispute with a Beijing publication. Zhang had sued the publication for publishing an article which portrayed her as a homewrecker. Ji insists that this was not the case. “She’s been very busy with Wong Kar-Wai’s film… Although Ziyi won’t work with director Wayne Wang this time, they will have another project together in the near future,” said Ji.

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