10. On-Set Injuries:
In the first film, Hiroyuki Ikeuchi suffered a concussion from too many hits from Donnie Yen, who had previously almost lost an eye when an ax came too close. In Ip Man 2, fight choreographer Sammo Hung refused to be hospitalized until the scene was completed, which was in keeping with his character, and ended up getting four stitches. And finally, the legendary boxer Mike Tyson broke his finger in a spectacular fight with Donnie Yen. Actually, you know what, kudos to the stunt team when it’s the worst thing that can happen.
9. Ip Man’s Son Served as a Technical Consultant
Speaking of Ip Chun, when pre-production rolled around on the first “Ip Man” movie, producers wanted to inject an air of authenticity in regard to Ip’s hometown of Foshan and the martial arts on display. They consulted a great many Wing Chun experts, and one of them was Ip Man’s real-life son Ip Chun, a grandmaster in the craft as well. Chun, having been born in 1924, roughly thirteen years before the film takes place, naturally made recommendations on certain story elements as well. Though the entire series is filled with factual inaccuracies – more on that in a minute – they couldn’t have gotten anyone closer to the real Ip Man himself to make sure they honored his essence and legacy on-screen.
8. It’s Mostly Fiction
Don’t let the on-screen text at the end of the movie fool you; these adventures are not based on reality. Yes, Yip Man was a true Wing Chun grandmaster who was indeed Bruce Lee’s mentor and indeed moved from Foshan to Hong Kong, but basically everything that pushes the plots is embellishment. As wonderful as it is, if it were true, no, Ip Man didn’t fight a Japanese general, a British boxer, a Hong Kong triad, or an American drill sergeant. Of course, he kicked everyone’s but mostly in his spare time and not at the same level of stakes as Ip Man from Yen. However, we definitely like to think that he might if he ever got into those situations.
7. This Wasn’t Donnie Yen’s First Attempt to Portray Ip Man
When it came time to cast the first “Ip Man” movie, which was released in 2008, Donnie Yen was an obvious choice, particularly because he’d been cast as the grandmaster once before. Back in the late ‘90s, producers Jeffrey Lau and Corey Yuen got the go-ahead to film a biopic based on the life of Bruce Lee’s mentor Grandmaster Ip Man, starring Stephen Chow and Donnie Yen, respectively. However, the film studio, Paragon Films Ltd., shut down, shortly before filming was set to take place. Yen was even partially paid, but regardless, the project was shelved indefinitely. Thankfully, when producer Raymond Wong began developing his own movie on the subject, Yen finally got his shot at the role roughly ten years later.RELATED:
Ip Man: The 12 Best Fight Scenes From The Movies
6. Familiar Bruce Lee
After Bruce Lee’s untimely death in 1973, numerous actors played the martial artist and inherited his roles in various media. Ip Man stars Hong Kong actor Danny Chan, who appears as Lee in parts three and four. Fans of Chan will note that this was not his first time as a young dragon, as he had previously done in the CCTV series The Legend of Bruce Lee. Although his first job came seven years before Ip Man 3, the casting directors must have remembered his turn when they realized he was still right for the part.
5. Actual Ip Man Connection
Though Bruce Lee will always be remembered as Ip Man’s greatest pupil, the truth is that he brought up a whole host of prominent martial artists. Given the amount of on-screen talent in the franchise, one could surmise that someone would have a connection to the real-life grandmaster. Sure enough, Chris Collins, who plays karate master Colin Frater in “Ip Man 4,” is actually versed in Ip Man’s brand of kung fu Wing Chun himself. His teacher was none other than Grandmaster Leung Ting, who studied behind closed doors with Ip Man. On a side note, some contest Ting’s relation to Ip Man, including his son Ip Chun, but there is some photographic evidence.
4. The Last Two Films Might Not Have Been Made
Now that the series is finally complete, it’s hard to imagine that we won’t get the full four-movie arc for Ip Man that we did. However, based on conversations between parts, it didn’t seem like we were even getting three, as there seemed to be some consensus between Donnie Yen and producer Raymond Wong that it felt unnecessary. Donnie Yen Said “Because Ip Man 2 will undoubtedly become a classic, surpassing the first. I think it’s better to finish something when it’s perfect and leave good memories behind.” Luckily, it was franchise director Wilson Yip who convinced them to continue, promising that Yip’s relationship with Bruce Lee would be explored.
3. “Ip Man 4” Was Protested
While the first three Ip Man films were more successful than the last, the fourth and final installment was mired in controversy in its native Hong Kong even before its release. For much of 2019, many protested the possible passage of a bill that would extradite Hong Kong criminals to mainland China, which many feared would undermine Hong Kong’s autonomy. Due to the pro-Chinese stance of Raymond Wong and stars Donnie Yen and Danny Chan, in addition to their outspoken opposition to the movement, many called for a complete boycott of the film and discouraged others from watching it by posting spoilers online. While the number of films in Hong Kong has certainly dropped, that hasn’t stopped it from becoming the franchise’s highest-grossing film.
2. Title Disputes
Several Ip Man films have been made over the years, some more high-profile than others. It just so happened that a 2008 project starring Donnie Yen, originally titled Grandmaster Ip Man, ran into conflict with another biopic about the legend, more simply titled Grandmaster. The latter’s director, Wong Kar-wai, disagreed with the similarities and wanted the two films to be different from each other. Thus, Raymond Wong shortened the title of his film to simply “Ip Man”, claiming that this is exactly what he wanted all along. Turns out they probably shouldn’t have bothered, as The Grandmaster went through development hell and won’t be released until 2013, five years between the two films.