China, Japan bring ping-pong to the big screen

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China and Japan have long been strong rivals in the world of table tennis. Now they are bringing the competition to the big screens as players from both countries will reprise their roles in two upcoming films.

Table tennis world No.1 Ma Long will debut in a film directed by popular singer/songwriter/actor Jay Chow.

CCTV Sports broke the news on its official Weibo account on Sunday, saying the Olympic champion has accepted the offer to guest star in "Kao Pu Xiong Di" ("Reliable Brother"), in which he will play as a teammate of Chow in a table tennis team.

CCTV Sports reveals Ma Long will play in a table tennis movie directed by Jay Chow on August 20, 2017. /Weibo Screenshot

The filming seems to have finished in early August according to the comments from fans who have been following Ma closely.

"Guest-starring is only a small part of the film and is finished. Ma Long is now concentrating on the National Games of China. Looking forward to his performance," @xiaopangzihaonanshou wrote.

Fans react to CCTV Sports' post on Ma Long joining the table tennis movie by Jay Chow. /Weibo Screenshot

Another user @zhanzhangchenruifen replied, "Through this short period of filming and the influences of the film, [I] hope there will be more people pay attention to and participate in table tennis," citing words from Ma.

However, the synopsis and the release date are yet to be unveiled.

The Japanese side is one step faster this time with rom-com film "MIX" coming to theatres in October of this year.

"MIX," tells the story of 28-year-old Tamako Tomita who was a table tennis prodigy but now lives an ordinary life until she goes back to her hometown and finds the table tennis club left by her mother.

Stills from Japanese rom-com "MIX". /Photo via Mix-movie.jp

"MIX" features top Japanese table tennis players Jun Mizutani and Kasumi Ishikawa as well as popular actors such as Yui Aragaki and Eita.

Mizutani and Ishikawa will only make a short appearance in the film, but the players hope the film will be a box-office success and shed some light on the sport.

"MIX" will open in Japanese theatres on October 21 this year..