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At a press conference in Hong Kong yesterday, Bona Film Group officially unveiled Overheard 3 - or Overh3ard - the latest installment in its successful series of thrillers, which have to-date blended elements of audio surveillance with the financial world. But while all the major players are set to return, some elements of the franchise are going to change.

Lau Ching Wan, Louis Koo and Daniel Wu all return for the third film - again playing different characters than in previous outings - but the action will move away from its earlier focus on the stock market. Koo suggested that his character will have some kind of physical disability, while Daniel Wu, on the same day that he announced the birth of his daughter, Raven, joked that he hoped he might now be allowed to survive to the end of the film.

Also returning are co-stars Alex Fong, Michelle Ye and Huang Yi, as well as writer-directors Felix Chong and Alan Mak. Producer Derek Yee remains as godfather of the project, which will have a budget larger than that of Overheard and Overheard 2 combined. It was also suggested that if audiences respond well to Overheard, Mak and Chong could be tempted to keep the franchise running long into the future.

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