(L-R) Andy Lau, Miu Kiu Wai, Felix Wong and Kent Tong pose for photographers at the premiere of their film "Brothers" in Hong Kong on Tuesday, October 16, 2007. [Photo: Tungstar/ent.sina.com.cn]

Four actors representing the golden era of Hong Kong television are reuniting in a thriller film, which opens in Chinese theaters on Thursday.

Andy Lau, Miu Kiu Wai, Felix Wong and Kent Tong, four-fifths of the former "five tigers of TVB," have joined hands in depicting a brotherhood tale in "Brothers," a typical Hong Kong crime thriller, directed by Sung Kee Chiu.

With the absence of Tony Leung, singer and actor Eason Chan fills the void as the new fifth "tiger."

The film also stars Chinese mainland actress Huang Yi and veteran actor Wang Zhiwen.

Moviegoers snapped up tickets to an early premiere in the southern city of Guangzhou. Many regard the film as a chance to re-live the good old days of the "five tigers."

Andy Lau, who is also a major investor in the 25-million-HK dollar (US$3.22 million) film, told reporters that his gang is planning to collaborate annually, and they are eager to reunite with Tony Leung on any future projects.

Leung, who stars in Ang Lee's Golden Lion-winning "Lust, Caution," is currently shooting John Woo's historical epic "Battle of Red Cliff," another star-studded film.

The heyday of TVB's "five tigers" was in the '80s, when the five actors were a guarantee of small-screen success for TVB, Hong Kong's leading television broadcaster.

The last film audiences saw them together in was the 1991 hit "The Tigers," after which time the gang went their separate ways to pursue different careers. Each has achieved different levels of success.