The MTV Movies Blog reports that director John Woo announced in a Chinese press conference that he will be directing an epic about the "Flying Tigers," volunteer American pilots who flew against the Japanese from bases in China's mountainous Yunnan region during World War II.
The Chinese-born Woo is best-known for his Hong Kong action movies from the 1980s and early 1990s, including the must-see landmarks The Killer and Hard Boiled. He later made a foray into Hollywood with Face/Off, Mission: Impossible II, Paycheck, and another WWII picture, Windtalkers.
The new project, whose literal English translation is Flying Tiger Heroes, has a reported budget of $160 million and will star both Chinese and American actors. Empire had this quote from Woo regarding the project:
This is an extremely important production. Currently, basic preparations for shooting work have already been made, and in a month, we'll confirm the script. This Yunnan-themed film emphasizes China-US friendship and the contributions of the Flying Tigers and the people of Yunnan during the War of Resistance.
Posted 07.07.09 by reelz