Filmmakers Hark Tsui (left) and Derek Yee work on Sword Master, a film based on late author Gu Long's martial arts novel.[Photo provided to China Daily]

"Yee has dreamed of adapting the book to the big screen for many years ... He has woven his own life and emotions into the movie," says Tsui.

But Gu's depiction of stunts in the book is too conceptual to be visualized, making it a challenge for filmmakers, he says.

In recently seen footage of the shooting, Yee and Tsui are seen waving swords to guide cast members on the performance.

But the film seemed to have more problems than those just related to action choreography. Originally it was meant to be shot in 1999. Yee had once hoped that Hong Kong-based singer-actor Leslie Cheung and Japanese actor Takenouchi Yutaka would play the lead roles, but that never happened due to money issues.

Yee and Tsui then recruited new mainland stars Lin Gengxin, Jiang Yiyan and Jiang Mengjie, and Taiwan-based actor Peter Ho for lead roles for the movie.

Despite the confidence Yee and Tsui seemed to have in the young actors, fans who got to know of the lineup, questioned how a lesser-known cast would do justice to one of Gu's best-known works.