JOHN WOO ACTUALLY CASTING A MOVIE

John Woo can't seem to actually start shooting any of the many, many, many projects he announces, and for those of us who can live without seeing his take on He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, that's not a bad thing. But his film THE BATTLE OF RED CLIFF, to be shot in Mainland China, may actually get made.

He's just announced that the cast is shaping up. So far there's Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Ken Watanabe, and Chow Yun-fat in the mix, and he's in talks right now with Andy Lau to join the picture. It seems like the HERO-fever, sparked by Zhang Yimou, continues to push big name directors into making big ol' martial arts movies. We've got Lee Myung-Se working on THE DUELIST in Korea, Chen Kaige's THE PROMISE slated for a December release, and now John Woo's THE BATTLE OF RED CLIFF.