A Chinese Blockbuster in the Making

Invariably when an foreign movie director wants a serious budget to develop a bigger vision, eyes usually turn towards the Hollywood machine and movies geared towards a western, if global, audience.

So it was with John Woo.

His stylized Hong Kong gangster flicks including A Better Tomorrow and the cult classic, The Killer, drew fans the world over. So it wasn't long before the sheen of blockbuster appeal pulled him across the Pacific for a while. It has been hit or miss for him, but his unique style has given him longevity in an industry known for throwing out the latest trendy director for another.

Now it's payback time for the Chinese director.

I had been hearing rumblings for a while about a new John Woo flick, set in China, but I had little idea of the epic he is undertaking. The most expensive motion picture ever made in Asia -- Red Cliff will sprawl a romanticized era in Chinese history known as the Three Kingdoms over two movies to be released later this year throughout Asia. While a U.S. release is expected, we may get a single condensed version, instead.

Here's an early peek at one of this year's most anticipated releases worldwide. It's a reminder that while Hollywood still controls the blockbuster market, there's a whole different world out there waiting for their stories to be told as well: