Starring Chinese actor Liu Ye along with Hollywood stars Meryl Streep and Val Kilmer, shooting of the American indie project Dark Matter is finally underway in Salt Lake City.
Inspired by a true story, the drama focuses on a young Chinese student of astrophysics in America, played by Liu Ye. The narrative centers around his discovery of dark matter and then the campus politics that ultimately ruin his chances of winning a Nobel Prize.
Meryl Streep plays the next-door neighbor who establishes an unusual friendship with the Chinese student.
Liu Ye said the original American producer was upset that Val Kilmer's character was portrayed as a villain and so delayed the production for over a year and half, according to the Shanghai Morning Post. Production finally began after a Canadian studio picked up the film.
(CRI June 19, 2006)