Studio upbeat about filming of `King and I' in Malaysia

Though 20th Century Fox has dropped plans to shoot a remake of "The King and I" in Thailand, a studio spokesman said Friday the company is confident the film starring Jodie Foster and Hong Kong actor Chow Yun Fat will strike a chord with audiences.

The movie targets a generation of moviegoers who may have seen previous versions of the tale - about a prim Victorian governess, Anna Leonowens, hired by a Thai king to teach his children English - only on the small screen."The very iconic presence of Jodie Foster and Chow Yun Fat seems like it would work for this audience today. People want to see romances," said Fox spokesman Jorge Carreon, noting the success of the film "Titanic."

Fox had planned to shoot the film on location in Thailand but cited red tape and bureaucracy in its decision earlier this week to move production of "Anna and the King" to neighboring Malaysia.

The Thai Film Board twice rejected scripts submitted by Fox, saying they were demeaning and featured inaccurate portrayals of Mongkut, a 19th Century king of Siam, as Thailand was then known.

"The studio would love to have filmed in Thailand," said Fox spokesman Carreon, reached in Beverly Hills, Calif., by telephone. "It's a beautiful country where the story takes place and would add realism."

Thai officials were unwilling to sanction another unflattering representation of Mongkut following "Anna and the King of Siam" in 1946 and the musical "The King and I" a decade later, for which Yul Brynner won an Oscar.

Most Thais revere the monarchy and feel these early films portrayed Mongkut as a cruel buffoon. Many blame this caricature on filmmakers' use of the gossip-laden memoirs of Leonowens.