Ming Beaver Kwei

Ming Beaver Kwei (Chinese: 桂幼铭; born November 12, 1966) is an American film producer based in Los Angeles and China. He is the son of famed Shaw Brothers Studio director Kuei Chih-Hung (桂治洪) (Killer Constable, Hex).[1] Kwei has produced two hit comedies starring Zhang Ziyi, Sophie's Revenge and its follow-up, My Lucky Star (Fei chang xing yun), as well as the films The Precipice Game and Legend of Sun and Moon.

Ming Beaver Kwei
Ming Beaver Kwei at a Sophie's Revenge press event in 2009
Born
YauMing Kwei

(1966-11-12) November 12, 1966
Hong Kong
OccupationFilm producer
Years active2000-present

Kwei was an associate producer on The Meg, a 2018 shark thriller starring Jason Statham and Li Bingbing that has grossed more than $530 million worldwide.[2] His other film credits include The Adventurers (executive producer), Slam (associate producer) and The Painted Veil (associate producer).

Early life

Born YauMing Kwei in Hong Kong, Beaver grew up on the Shaw Brothers backlot with his filmmaking family, where his father directed 75 films and his mother worked as a Foley artist.

“I was used to coconut shells, buckets of gravel and doors that led nowhere on a sound stage. My math tutor was the projectionist, “Kwei told The Hollywood Reporter in 2011.

He lived in studio-subsidized housing with his family, and counted Hong Kong filmmakers Chang Cheh (co-director on Kuei's The Delinquent), Ching Gang, father of Tony Ching Siu-Tung (A Chinese Ghost Story) and Derek Yee Tung-sing (Protege) as neighbors.[3]

“Shaw kept everybody in their little kingdom. Directors in one block and stars in the next building.”

After relocating to the United States with his family in the 1980s, Kwei attended St. Michael's Preparatory School, a Catholic boys boarding school in southern Orange County, California. His father discouraged him from pursuing a career in the film industry, preferring that Kwei become an engineer instead. Nevertheless, Kwei was accepted into the film program at the University of California, Irvine.

“I always knew I’d be in films. But I also knew I didn’t want to be a director,” he told The Hollywood Reporter.

Career

Kwei began his Hollywood career as a personal assistant to Jet Li on such popular movies as Hero, Romeo Must Die and Kiss of the Dragon. Li recalled on the press circuit how Kwei’s input became instrumental in developing the climactic fight scene in 2001’s Kiss of the Dragon:

“We had scheduled six days to film the final fight scene. After the third day, back at the hotel, Beaver suddenly told me why he thought the scene didn’t work. He and I started to argue, and the argument lasted several hours. Later that night, I lay awake in bed, quietly rethinking the entire scene and his objections. I didn’t agree with all of them, but I spent that night re-imagining a fight scene that could solve all of those problems. The next morning, when I arrived on the set, people were in the middle of shooting the original scene. I said to them, 'Stop filming. Let’s scrap it. We have something new.' I think the final cut really shows the results of the pressure we put on ourselves to produce an interesting film,” Li said.[4]

Over the course of five years, eight films and one video game production, Kwei built a fruitful working relationship with Li and even did some action unit stunt directing on Kiss of the Dragon.

“[It] made me very glad to have an assistant like Beaver,” Li said in 2001, expressing that he felt lucky “to have an assistant, whom I also consider a friend, who will very frankly present his opinion of how my fans will react to certain scenes. Beaver speaks for that audience. After twenty years, one can get too familiar with one’s own work, and that’s when you need new ideas and perspectives. Don’t get me wrong, he and I get into big fights, but I really do value his creative input. We may not agree 100%, but we may ultimately end up changing 30-40% of the scene, and the result is worth it.”[5]

From 2005 to 2008, he was the Executive VP of production and development for Warner China Film HG[6] and was the associate producer of the Edward Norton-Naomi Watts film, The Painted Veil, shot on location in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangxi, China, and Slam, a youth basketball drama. Kwei’s first film as a producer was the 2009 comedy, Sophie's Revenge, starring Zhang Ziyi and directed by Eva Jin Yimeng. Sophie’s Revenge was a big hit in China, earning more than 100 million RMB ($15.2 million).[7] Kwei reteamed with Zhang and Ling Lucas to co-produce a successful follow-up, the 2013 prequel My Lucky Star. With Zhang reprising the role of Sophie and co-starring pop star Leehom Wang, My Lucky Star was an even bigger hit, garnering an international release and earning more than $22 million worldwide.[8]

Kwei had brought My Lucky Star to Village Roadshow Entertainment Group Asia. My Lucky Star is notable for being the first Chinese-language movie to be directed by an American woman, Dennie Gordon. Kwei’s cross-cultural sensibilities came into play, working with Gordon and writer Amy Snow to develop a vehicle for Zhang that would be in the tradition of Hollywood rom-coms, yet specifically tailored for a Chinese audience.

Gordon recalled getting the balance just right to The Los Angeles Times in 2013:[9]

“I pitched [to Zhang] -- what if we took you to the land of James Bond or Romancing the Stone, a spy-tastic adventure where Sophie has to step up to the plate? And she loved that. So I came back here and started working with a couple writers. … The two that I most closely developed it with here were Beaver Kwei, one of my producers, and Amy Snow.”

For his contributions to the plot line of My Lucky Star, Kwei earned a story credit on the film as well.

Kwei followed up these romantic comedies with a decidedly different genre in 2015. The Precipice Game is a low-budget horror movie starring Ruby Lin (Sophie’s Revenge, My Lucky Star) and Peter Ho and directed by Wang Zao. Kwei produced for Shanghai-based Fundamental Films. Kwei earned an executive producer credit on 2017’s The Adventurers, a big-budget action thriller starring Andy Lau, Qi Shu and Jean Reno. The Adventurers has grossed more than $36 million worldwide.[10]

August 2018 marked the release of one of Kwei’s biggest film productions to date. The Meg, a thriller about a megalodon prehistoric shark discovered by scientists in the Marianas Trench, boasted a big budget ($130–178 million) and an international cast that included Jason Statham, Li Bingbing, Rainn Wilson, Ruby Rose, Winston Chao and Cliff Curtis. A U.S./China co-production from Warner Bros. Entertainment, Gravity Pictures and Flagship Entertainment, the film was shot in New Zealand and China, with Kwei serving as an associate producer. The Meg was a megahit, grossing $145.4 million in North America and $384.8 million internationally for a worldwide box-office of tally of $530.2 million.[11] A sequel has been announced.

2020’s Legend of Sun and Moon is currently in post-production and marks Kwei’s second film with Sophie’s Revenge director Eva Jin Yimeng. It is based on the Chinese mythology of moon goddess Chang'e and her archer husband, Houyi.

In addition to these film credits, Kwei has collaborated with his friend, the Chinese director Ning Hao on four projects: Crazy Stone, Crazy Racer, No Man's Land and Crazy Alien.

Personal life

Kwei is an avid long-distance runner. He ran and completed the Sapporo Hokkaido Marathon in 2014, and in 2015.[12]

Filmography
Producer
2006The Painted Veilassociate producer (China)
2006Crazy Stoneproduction executive
2008Slamassociate producer
2008Connectedproduction executive
2009Sophie’s Revengeproducer
2013My Lucky Starproducer (also story credit)
2016The Precipice Gameproducer
2016Mission Milanoadministrative producer
2016Super Expressproduction executive
2017The Adventurersexecutive producer
2018The Megassociate producer
2020Legend of Sun and Moonproducer (currently in post-production)
Writer
2006Crazy Stonestory consultant
2013My Lucky Starstory (also producer credit)
2013No Man’s Landstory consultant
2019Crazy Alienstory consultant
Stunts
2001Kiss of the Dragonstunt direction/stunt team: Corey Yuen Stunt Team
Miscellaneous Crew
2000Romeo Must Diepersonal assistant to Jet Li (uncredited))
2001Kiss of the Dragonpersonal assistant to Jet Li
2001The Onepersonal assistant to Jet Li
2002Invinciblepersonal assistant (TV movie, uncredited)
2009Heropersonal assistant to Jet Li
2003Cradle 2 the Gravepersonal assistant to Jet Li
2003Rise to Honorpersonal assistant to Jet Li (video game)
2005Unleashedpersonal assistant to Jet Li
2009Silver Medalist (aka Crazy Racer)development executive
2017Crazy Alienstory editor
Special Thanks
2011Inseparable
2015All Eyes and Ears (documentary)

References
  1. Kwei, Ming Beaver. "Biography". Internet Movie Database. IMDb. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
  2. "The Meg". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  3. Landreth, Jonathan (March 21, 2011). "Kuei Chih Hung's Work Offered Up to New Generation". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
  4. Blag, Ralie. "Jet Li in person: "My film career is only one aspect of my life. Relationships are more important", the movies". Free Vision Media. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
  5. Blag, Ralie. "Jet Li in person: "My film career is only one aspect of my life. Relationships are more important", the movies". Free Vision Media. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
  6. "Village Roadshow sets up shingle in China". Variety. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  7. "Sophie's Revenge". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  8. "My Lucky Star". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  9. "U.S. director Dennie Gordon, on filming 'My Lucky Star' in China". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  10. "The Adventurers". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  11. "The Meg". IMDb. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  12. Kwei, Ming Beaver. "30th Hokkaido Marathon results". 完走者の記録検索 フルマラソン. 北海道マラソン事務局.
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