Zhang Ziyi
Actress Zhang Ziyi poses on the red carpet as she arrives for the opening ceremony and the screening of the film "Grace of Monaco" (Grace de Monaco) out of competition during the 67th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes May 14, 2014. The festival will run from May 14 to 25. Reuters

Zhang Ziyi, 36, recently lost an appeal in a case against a Taiwanese tabloid. The actress is known for starring in Ang Lee's action drama film “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” opposite Chow Yun-Fat in 2000.

The Taiwan High Court has rejected Zhang’s appeal in the aggravated defamation case against the Next Magazine. The High Court upheld a lower court’s acquittal of the three defendants, who are the magazine’s editor along with two reporters, ICRT reported.

In May 2012, the Next Magazine published a report claiming that Zhang had been paid NT 3.2 billion (Au$ 130,000) to have a sexual relationship with high-ranking officials, including Bo Xilai for 10 years. Subsequently, the “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” actress filed an aggravated defamation lawsuit against the tabloid.

In April, the Shilin District Court ruled that the report was not a fabrication but almost a reprint of the original article on Boxun News. The court also ruled that the tabloid has issued an apology to Zhang and the two reporters tried to get the actress’s comments before the publication of the article but they did not receive a response.

Meanwhile, the sequel to Ang Lee’s “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” entitled “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny” is set to be released on Feb. 26, 2016. Zhang and Chow did not reprise their roles as Jiao Long and Master Li Mu Bai in the sequel.

Directed by legendary fight choreographer Yuen Woo-Ping , “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny” features Michelle Yeoh reprising her role as Yu Shu Lien, the most stoic warrior of 18th century China. The upcoming action drama film also stars Donnie Yen, Harry Shum Jr., Jason Scott Lee, Eugenia Yuan, Juju Chan, Chris Pang, Darryl Quon and Roger Yuan, among others.

The screenplay of “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny” was written by John Fusco based on the fifth and final novel of “Crane Iron Pentalogy” by Wang Dulu. The film will have a simultaneous premiere on Netflix and in IMAX theaters, according to Rolling Stone.

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