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| Netizens Think Dilraba's Been Shooting Women's Soccer Since Day One – Is She the Real Lead? |
Could Dilraba Dilmurat be leading Women's Soccer after all? The rumour mill’s working overtime again, and this time it’s not just about a cheeky cameo. Word on the street is that the 90s-born actress might be the actual female lead in Stephen Chow’s long-awaited sports comedy film — and netizens are eating it up.
From “Guest Star” to Leading Lady?
Stephen Chow, the legendary “King of Comedy,” first teased his female-led spin-off of Shaolin Soccer back in 2023. Since then, fans have been dying to know which A-listers would step onto the pitch. Initially, reports reckoned Dilraba was only dropping in for a guest spot — maybe a cameo or special appearance at most.
But new gossip says otherwise. Apparently, Dilraba’s been filming from the very start, and insiders reckon she’s sticking around ‘til the final whistle — quite literally, with filming expected to wrap around 6 June. That’s a bit long for a casual walk-on, innit?
Clashing Cast Rumours
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Up until recently, Zhang Xiaofei was widely assumed to be the lead. She was seen filming scenes over in Qingdao and supposedly wrapped her part within two months. Fans had all but confirmed it. Sorted, right?
Not quite. The production’s still running — now at a mega-sized stadium in Shenzhen — and insiders are hinting that the main female role might not be as clear-cut as folks thought. Zhang may’ve wrapped early, but Dilraba’s still on-site and in costume. That’s got everyone side-eyeing their original guesses.
And just to spice things up, Lay Zhang Yixing is also part of the cast. So naturally, the fan wars have kicked off again: who’s the main, who’s the guest, and who’s just here for eye candy?
Tin Kai-man Stirs the Pot
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Adding fuel to the speculation is Tin Kai-man — Stephen Chow’s long-time partner-in-crime — who casually dropped in a past interview that Dilireba’s role is “very important.” Now, what does that mean exactly? Leading lady? Secret weapon? The cool coach who shows up in Act Three and saves the day?
Meanwhile, Douban’s current cast rankings list Zhang Xiaofei first, followed by Lay Zhang, and Dilraba sitting in third. That’s got some fans thinking she might still be more of a flashy side character than the star striker.
Fans Keeping It Chill (For Now)
Despite the online buzz, the production team’s been radio silent on the matter — not confirming or denying whether Dilraba’s the frontwoman of this footie flick. Still, her fanbase isn’t losing hope just yet. While many are hyped at the idea of her leading a big-screen comeback, they’re also reminding each other not to get too gassed until something official drops.
“Eat melons, don’t believe ‘em,” one netizen joked — referencing the Chinese slang for ‘melon-eating crowd’ (i.e., gossip-watchers). “Let’s wait and see what Uncle Chow serves us.”
Until then, we’ll keep our eyes peeled, boots laced, and memes ready.