The budget for John Woo's latest historical epic - already the costliest movie in Asian film history - has grown from $50m to more than $80m. Now called Red Cliff, shortened from its previous title Battle of Red Cliff, the film centres on events during the war in the year 208 that determined the geography of the Three Kingdoms period - when China had three separate rulers. It stars Chow Yun-fat, Cannes best actor winner Tony Leung Chiu-wai and Taiwanese model Lin Chi-ling. Shooting is scheduled to start in late March in and around Beijing. The finished product will be released in two versions: as two two-hour films in Asian territories and as a single epic of two-and-a-half hours for the rest of the world.
The actor Omar Sharif was yesterday ordered to attend anger management classes and to serve two years' probation after pleading no contest to hitting a Beverly Hills parking attendant. The star of Dr Zhivago and Lawrence of Arabia was also ordered to pay a $100 fine. Sharif was taken to court by Juan Anderson, who alleged that Sharif struck him outside a steakhouse in June 2005 after becoming upset that his car was not waiting for him.
The Screen Actors Guild yesterday unveiled an online directory of its members that will eventually allow casting directors to search electronically for the right actors. Using iActor, the 120,000 SAG members will now be able to upload their head shots, résumés and audio and video clips to their individual profiles, although the search function won't be ready until spring. The system was developed at the cost of more than $350,000 in response to casting directors' increasing use of the internet to find the actors they want.
