Hong Kong action director John Woo (吴宇森) has signed on to direct a China-Hollywood joint production about the Flying Tigers, according to a Dushi Shibao report.

The movie, which will begin filming this year, is expected to cost US$100 million, which will make it the most expensive Chinese film made to date, the report said.

A signing ceremony for the film, called "Flying Tiger Heroes" (飞虎群英) in Chinese, was held in Beijing on July 3, with Lion Rock Productions, Fengde Dadi Culture and Media Co Ltd and the Propaganda Bureau of the Standing Committee of the Yunnan provincial government all inking a cooperation agreement for the film.

Woo, director of popular action movies in Hong Kong such as "Hard Boiled" and Hollywood films including "Mission: Impossible 2", said the movie will feature the most spectacular aerial battle scenes ever seen in Chinese cinema. He added that the movie would highlight the spirit of Yunnan culture as well as Chinese heroes from World War II and the US-China friendship that led to the founding of the Flying Tigers.

Woo will have his hands full presenting an accurate account of the Flying Tigers, whose history is often misrepresented or misunderstood in both China and the US. Officially known as the American Volunteer Group, the Yunnan-based Flying Tigers flew missions against Japanese bombers and fighters from December 1941 to July 1942 in southern China and Myanmar, then known as Burma.

"This is an extremely important production," Woo said at the signing ceremony. "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."