Yuen Woon-ping

THE MOVIE: Commercial director Michael Gracey is helming an East-meets-West take on Snow White and the Seven Dwarves for Disney, titled The Order of the Seven. Saoirse Ronan (Hanna, The Lovely Bones) stars as Snow White but this adaptation of the story will place more of an emphasis on the seven “dwarves,” who are now full-bodied warriors. The film has been in development since 2002 but is slated for release sometime in 2013. Cityonfire.com readers will be most interested to hear that Yuen Woo-Ping has been circling the project as a fight choreographer.

Updates: The Hollywood Reporter lists Scott Rudin and Andrew Gunn as producers. On board as executive producer is Gunn Films’ Ann Marie Sanderlin, along with Anthony Wong and Dede Nickerson. One of the Toy Story 3 writers did a polish on the script.

BREAKING NEWS: The Hollywood Reporter says that the seven male characters won’t be vertically challenged. The premise has also now been updated accordingly:

In this iteration, the seven are a 19th century-set disparate band of international warriors belonging to a centuries-old order who have lost their way. They meet with an Englishwoman (Ronan) who is being chased by an ancient evil, and she proves to be the catalyst for their redemption.

The film will still be set in China but have fighters from America and Russia, each with their own “unique fighting style.” More info at IndieWire.

"Cobra" Teaser Poster

THE MOVIE: Alexandre Aja, director of The Hills Have Eyes remake and Piranha 3-D, is positioned to helm a live-action adaptation of Space Adventure Cobra, the popular anime from Osamu Dezaki (director on shows like Astro Boy and Lupin the 3rd). A tentative release date for 2017 is set.

Updates: Dark Horizons notes the film is slowly moving full steam ahead, as it’s found a partner to co-finance its estimated $100 million budget. While you’re waiting for further news, Hulu is streaming the dubbed version of the anime movie for your pleasure. Thanks to Anime News Network for the tip.

BREAKING NEWS: Here’s a look at what could be the new teaser poster. Thanks to @castuka for the link.

DDDHouse.com: Asian Import DVD, Blu-rays, Hardware and More.

Cityonfire.com is proud to announce we are now promoting new and upcoming Asian Import Blu-ray and DVDs through DDDHouse, a well-established online retail company operating out of Hong Kong. After countless orders placed, DDDHouse has become our choice for the latest Asian Import Blu-rays & DVD titles. Not only do they carry a wide variety of movies (Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Thai, etc) that are not yet available in the U.S., but their prices are substantially lower than their competition.

In addition, their customer service has been friendly and personable – something that’s rare in this industry, especially when dealing with overseas retailers. Even though they’re based out of Hong Kong, their turnaround time and shipping rates are very impressive. If you haven’t already, we hope that you will give DDDHouse a try. Tell them Cityonfire.com sent you…

And check back here for details on their latest releases. We promise to keep you in tune with the hottest titles that are not yet available here in America!

"Iron Sky" International Theatrical Poster

Iron Sky, a Finland/Germany/Australia co-production, revolves around how the Nazis set up a secret base on the moon back in 1945; now it’s 2018 and they’re going to continue where Hitler left off.

Directed by Timo Vuorensola (“Star Wreck V: Lost Contact”), lead singer of the Finnish black metal industrial noise band Alymysto. Iron Sky was screened at the Berlin International Film Festival in February. It opens officially in Germany, Finland and the UK on April 5th 2012.

Check out the trailer here.

'The Sword Identity' Chinese Theatrical Poster

Wong Kar-Wai is notorious for taking his own sweet time in delivering a completed movie to theaters. Case in point: apparently the screenwriter for Kar-Wai’s next film, The Grandmasters, has gone and made his own film while we’re still waiting for The Grandmasters to reach completion. Xu Haofeng’s 2011 period actioner The Sword Identity made the rounds at several high profile festivals last year but only now does it have a theatrical release date.

Writer/director Xu Haofeng’s movie is a throwback to the old-school Chinese swordsman flicks and looks ready to impress with its tale of intrigue and invincible weaponry. The Sword Identity arrives in Chinese theaters on February 24th and should appear in Hong Kong a little less than a month after that. You can view the trailer here. Meanwhile, 24 Frames Per Second has the full plot synopsis and some posters here.

Thanks to 24 Frames Per Second for the scoop

Yakuza Weapon Blu-ray & DVD (Well Go USA)

I’ll be honest, it’s a bit of a slow week this week but, hey, that gives our wallets a breather. Or maybe you’ll want to snatch up one of the many triple features and Dolph Lundgren double-packs available this week. Either way, here are your Asian and genre movie releases on blu-ray and DVD for the week of 2/7/12:

ASIAN CINEMA

Yakuza Weapon (blu-ray/DVD) – this 2010 film starring Tak Sakaguchi (“Versus”) represents the latest brand of insanity from Japanese production house Sushi Typhoon (“Machine Gun Girl,” “Tokyo Gore Police”)

Miramax Jackie Chan Series V.2 (DVD) – this collection offers the dubbed and edited Miramax cuts of four Jackie Chan films. Unfortunately, even after diligent research we have not been able to figure out what films these are yet! We will update you when we know

Time Traveler: The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (DVD) – delayed from 1/24, this 2010 Japanese film is based on the popular anime of the same name

End Call (DVD) – another delay from 1/24 by distributor Asian Crush, this 2008 Japanese horror movie shows what happens when you call the devil’s cellphone number

Lust in Hell (DVD) – delayed from 1/24, this 2009 Japanese horror film is about a woman who can speak with the dead

FOREIGN CINEMA

La Jetee/Sans Soleil (blu-ray) – the Criterion Collection presents two films directed by Chris Marker. “La Jetee” was the source material for Terry Gilliam’s “12 Monkeys”

3 (DVD) – from the director of “Run Lola Run,” this 2010 German-language film offers the story of a marriage on the rocks and the dashing young man who might unite them

The Story of a Love Affair (DVD) – Lorber Films offers a 2-disc special edition of Italian director Michelangelo Antonio’s 1950 film

Karen Cries on the Bus (DVD) – a 2011 Spanish-language film about a woman who one day walks away from everything in her life in search of happiness

Vasermil (DVD) – a 2007 Hebrew language film about young teens and the tension boiling just below the surface of modern day Israel

MAINSTREAM

Anonymous (blu-ray/DVD) – this 2011 film that questions the authorship of Shakespeare’s plays is the latest effort from the king of modern disaster movies, Roland Emmerich

The Sunset Limited (DVD) – this 2011 film is based on a play by “No Country For Old Men” author Cormac McCarthy and features two acting heavyweights in Tommy Lee Jones and Samuel L. Jackson

Dangerous Liasons (blu-ray) – Glenn Close, John Malkovich, and Michelle Pfeiffer star in the 1988 adaptation of Choderlos de Laclos’s novel, now on blu-ray

Action Triple Feature Volume 1 (blu-ray) – what a weird combination. You get the Val Kilmer and Stephen Dorff direct-to-video flick “XIII: The Conspiracy,” Jean Claude Van Damme’s existential masterpiece “JCVD,” and the well-regarded fraternity thriller “The Brotherhood,” all in one set

Action Triple Feature Volume 2 (blu-ray) – every Triple Feature deserves another. Here you receive WWII flick “Spoils of War,” Uwe Boll’s “Bloodrayne: The Third Reich,” and Jean Reno in “Ultimate Heist.” Just don’t ask me how they pick these movies

Miramax Explosive Action Series (DVD) – it’s Dolph Lundgren and Michael Dudikoff together and it’s not even an “Expendables” movie! In this DVD 4-pack you get Dolph in “Hidden Assassin” and “Men of War,” and Dudikoff in “Bounty Hunters” and “Bounty Hunters: Hardball”

INDEPENDENT

Reunion (DVD) – John Cena enters the direct-to-video realm with this 2011 action comedy co-starring Ethan Embry and Amy Smart. The reviews on Amazon are actually rather favorable

Poolboy: Drowning Out the Fury (DVD) – a 2011 low-budget indie action comedy featuring “Hercules” Kevin Sorbo and “Machete” Danny Trejo

ANIMATION

Lady and the Tramp (blu-ray) – the classic 1955 Disney animated feature arrives on blu-ray for the first time

CLASSICS

It’s a Mad Mad Mad World (blu-ray) – the classic 1963 comedy arrives in hi-def for the first time

Casino Royale (blu-ray) – the 1967 James Bond spoof featuring Woody Allen and Orson Welles is now on blu-ray

The Count of Monte Cristo (DVD) – Alexander Dumas’ classic novel is brought to life in this 1934 black-and-white film with a new digital transfer courtesy of Henstooth Video

Ben Hur: 50th Anniversary Edition (blu-ray) – this appears to be the slim case, standard edition blu-ray release of “Ben Hur” as opposed to the massive box set that came out back in September

HORROR

Day of the Dead 3D (blu-ray) – a 3-D reissue of the 2008 remake of George Romero’s film, starring Ving Rhames, Mena Suvari, and Nick Cannon

Deadly Spawn: Millennium Edition (blu-ray) – the beloved 1983 sci-fi/horror B-movie in hi-def from Elite Entertainment

Stormhouse (DVD) – Lionsgate offers this low-budget 2011 horror movie about a supernatural entity that has been captured and imprisoned at a top-secret government facility

Return to Horror High/Return of the Killer Tomatoes (DVD) – how can you pass up on two 80’s horror flicks, both starring George Clooney no less, together on DVD?

Interested in any of these movies? If so, we hope that you’ll consider ordering from our affiliate to help support this site. Thank you!