A stuntman was killed and six people were injured Monday during second-unit filming on director John Woo's THE BATTLE OF RED CLIFF, per VARIETY.
For the most expensive movie in Chinese -- and Asian -- history, the death of the 23-year-old is another unfortunate setback. Production has been hampered by everything from cast changes to bad weather.
The stuntman was killed when a fire broke out on Monday on the set in northern Beijing after a boat rammed into the set of an ancient warship, according to Phoenix TV. The cause of the fire is still being investigated.
Shooting on RED CLIFF had been mostly completed at the end of November, and Woo was in Hong Kong when the accident happened. The second-unit director was in charge of the set.
With an $80 million budget, RED CLIFF is the most expensive movie ever made in Asia, with funding coming from China's China Film, CMC Ent. in Taiwan, Avex in Japan and South Korea's Showbox.
Heavy rains washed away part of an outdoor set in Heibei in northern China. Actor Tony Leung Chiu-wai (LUST, CAUTION) dropped out and had to be replaced by Takesi Kaneshiro. Not long after, longtime Woo collaborator Chow Yun-fat ankled.
Two days after Chow left, Leung was back in the lineup as lead actor, replacing Chow.
The film, adapted from the classic Chinese novel ROMANCE OF THE THREE KINGS, will be a four-hour film.
For Asian territories, the movie will be split into two parts, with the first to be released in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Korea in July and in Japan in October. Audiences outside Asia will see a single 2.5 hour movie that will be released alongside part two in Asia in December next year.
