New comedy hopes to make a killing

A familiar face in many Hong Kong comedies, veteran actor Eric Tsang returns to his comfort zone with his role in the upcoming feature Kill Me Please.

Executive producer of the comedy, Tsang also plays a gang boss who runs an underground business in Thailand. The movie will open across the Chinese mainland on Dec 1.

Directed by emerging talent Wang Dan, the story centers on a middle-aged loser, who attempts to cheat a huge sum of money from his life insurance, but is instead dragged into a series of misfortunes and adventures.

The lead role is played by Wang Xun, a cross-talk artist-turned actor who shot to fame with the 2006 hit comedy Crazy Stone. The film also marks Wang's first time leading a feature.

Wang said Tsang has long been his favorite Hong Kong actor, and he felt lucky to have the chance to work with him.

"Tsang is an admirable actor. One scene requires my character to punch Tsang's heavily in the face. We performed if several times, but Tsang wasn't satisfied. So to make it seem as realistic as possible, he forced me to actually hit him," Wang said at a recent launch event in Beijing.

As well as Wang and Tsang, the cast also includes actress Yu Shasha, actors Liang Chao, Pan Binlong and Zhao Yingjun, as well as South Korean singer-actor Kim Sung-joo.