Since 2003’s much-panned Paycheck, American audiences haven’t heard much from the often-imitated action auteur, John Woo.  But he hasn’t been resting on his laurels.  In fact, he’s been adding feathers to his cap.  His latest film, Red Cliff, is an over four-hour-long historical epic that broke the record for the highest-grossing film in China (a title once held by Titanic).

However, Red Cliff, like Woo’s next project, Jianyu Jianghu (The Swordsman’s World), is in Chinese.  And we all know that subtitles – especially on an action film that won’t play with the art-house types -  dooms a film to limited release in America.  So when WILL the director return to American screens with an English language film?

IMDB lists a slew of projects in development, but the two Woo is most excited about haven’t been announced till now.  One is a remake of Jean-Pierre Melville’s Film Noir classic, Le Samourai.  The movie tells the story of a solitary hit man in Paris, who works under a code of behavior not unlike that of the ancient Samurai warriors.

Melville’s 1967 film greatly influenced Woo’s action flick classic, The Killer, along with virtually every other hip-themed crime movie that came thereafter (most notably Jim Jarmusch’s 1999 cult-film hit Ghost Dog, which was also a direct homage to Le Samourai). Melville’s film is a celebrated for a reason, and you should definitely check it out for yourself to know why.

However, The Killer came out twenty years ago, and Woo’s interest in Le Samourai now is “to make it into a modern film.”

A scene from Melville's Le Samourai

The second project on Woo’s slate, like Red Cliff, is a period piece – this time about Marco Polo.  Apparently, the relationship between the Italian explorer and emperor Kublai Khan (also the inspiration for writer Italo Calvino’s acclaimed Invisible Cities) is one of Woo’s “favorite stories.”  Who knew.

So which of these films will be first up on Woo’s docket?  Critics and audiences tend to stray when Woo doesn’t stay true to his action roots (usually for good reason). Action is what Woo does best.  So I’m hoping he pushes ahead with Le Samourai (Woo-style gun play on the streets of Paris?); no matter if the film ends up in French, English, or Chinese, I will be there.

Source: Movieline

Happy Friday everyone! Today we have gathered the latest posters to come out for this week’s poster round-up.

Screen Rant’s wall this week now includes one-sheets for The Box, Pandorum, Growl, Takers, Red Cliff, The Shrine, District 9 and Michael Jackson’s This is It.

In addition to those, we also have four great character banners for Where the Wild Things Are and and as a bonus, a photo for The Twilight Saga’s New Moon.

Let’s get to it…

To start this week’s set, here’s the brand new French poster for the Cameron Diaz-starrer, The Box. The film is a horror-thriller which also stars the strong talents of James Marsden (X-Men trilogy) and Frank Langella (Frost/Nixon).

Here’s the official synopsis:

Norma and Arthur Lewis, a suburban couple with a young child, receive a simple wooden box as a gift, which bears fatal and irrevocable consequences. A mysterious stranger, delivers the message that the box promises to bestow upon its owner $1 million with the press of a button. But, pressing this button will simultaneously cause the death of another human being somewhere in the world; someone they don’t know. With just 24 hours to have the box in their possession, Norma and Arthur find themselves in the cross-hairs of a startling moral dilemma and must face the true nature of their humanity.

The Box hits theaters November 6, 2009.

Source: ShockTillYouDrop

Red Cliff is director John Woo’s latest film, a sweeping epic about the historic Battle of Red Cliffs that stars Tony Leung, an actor considered to be Hong Kong’s equivalent to Robert De Niro (well, when he was in his prime). It is a film that has been released in lots of markets already over the past ten months or so, with Part I first released in Mainland China last July, and Part II in January this year.

Other places that it has reached are Japan, Singapore and South Korea, with the only non-Asian locations being France (released in March this year). The UK is releasing Red Cliff next month. But up until this point the United States, has been omitted from the release schedule, for reasons unknown. However: finally news comes that the U.S. of A will be getting to see John Woo’s Red Cliff!

The US distribution rights were acquired by Magnet Releasing (the genre label of Magnolia Pictures) at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, and Red Cliff is planned for release sometime this fall. No official release date has been set, but it is planned to be combined into one two-and-a-half hour movie (instead of two separate parts, as most of the rest of the world got), with plans for an eventual video-on-demand and DVD release.

To expand on the historical events that the movie is based on (thanks to FirstShowing.net) the movie tells, “the sprawling tale of the battle of Red Cliff, in which the imperial army took on warlords throughout the Chinese empire in a period at the end of the Han Dynasty.” That certainly sounds like am ambitious film for even someone like Woo to take on.

For a quick taste of the film, check out the goergous poster and the trailer:

I have to say I am not happy with the fact that they’re releasing (both in the US and in the UK) a shortened, two-and-a-half hour version of Red Cliff, rather than the original, two-part version that comes to a total of 4 hours and 40 minutes. Do the math: that’s over two hours cut out. That’s a lot of Woo’s vision that people in the US and the UK won’t get to see, short of traveling to Asia or importing the DVD.

Aside from the slimmed length, I can’t wait to see Woo’s latest sure-to-be-stunning piece of cinema. Visually I’m sure it will be a sight to behold. Even with sillier fare, such as Face/Off (which is just a blast to sit through), he still has a penchant for providing good entertainment.

The inclusion of the brilliant Leung doesn’t hurt, either.

So are you looking forward to Red Cliff? Are you okay with the fact that we will get the shortened version?

No official release date has been set for Red Cliff as of yet, but a fall 2009 is being aimed for.

Source: FirstShowing & Trailer Addict