A Forbidden Kingdom sequel in the works?

For those of you who, like us, couldn’t get enough of the cast of characters from The Forbidden Kingdom, good news could be on the horizon!

Sequel talk and a soundtrack review under the cut…

There’s a report today out of China that the global success of the movie has prompted investors and distributors Huayi Bros. to start talking sequel…

From China.org:

The overwhelming box-office success of the action-adventure flick “The Forbidden Kingdom” has prompted its producers to shoot a sequel.

Sources from the film’s Chinese investor and distributor, Huayi Brothers, said Tuesday they will once again collaborate with Hollywood for part two of the Jackie Chan-Jet Li film, the Beijing Times reported.

The two action heroes will appear in the follow-up film, together with actress Li Bingbing, who made her major Hollywood debut with “Forbidden Kingdom.”

The sequel is likely to feature a romance between Jet Li and Li Bingbing’s characters, the Beijing Times report says.

According to earlier rumors, Huayi Brothers president Wang Zhongjun said a sequel would be made if global revenue of “The Forbidden Kingdom” hit US$50 million.

The film raked in almost half that amount in its opening weekend in North America two weeks ago, topping the local box office with US$20.9 million. According to the Beijing Times, the US$70-million film has already broken even.

Tracksounds reviews the score!

Tracksounds, which provided the internets with a first listen to the score for the movie, has posted its soundtrack review:

THE FORBIDDEN KINGDOM contains satisfying helpings of both Eastern and Western styles and instrumentation. It is always a treat when a composer gets this particular blend right and such is the case here. This score is founded upon a 7-note main theme, which is used to represent each of the four heroes of the story. Upon closer listening, it becomes clear that there is some variation of this hero-theme in nearly every track. Some occurrences are subtle, covertly tucked away amidst more aggressive instruments, so it’s use is hardly overbearing or tiresome. Instead, Buckley’s clever employment keeps the listener, if only subconsciously, entertainingly engaged with the story and characters from start to finish. One hardly notices this hero-theme as the erhu performs it at the onset of track 1 “The Dream.” In fact, this motif provides the backbone for the action sequence at the conclusion of the track, as well. Additionally, we hear the motif reverently plucked on the guzheng in “Temple Fight” (5). As we progress through the story, the hero-theme becomes fuller and performed with greater depth until we reach the pinnacle-performance at the conclusion of track 17 “China Ends.”

Read the whole review by Christopher Coleman at Tracksounds!