Chinese star pulls out of epic film
The movie is Chinese but the dispute seems very American -- with differing accounts of why Chow Yun-Fat withdrew from a major historical epic directed by John Woo, the man who made him an icon.
Chow, who starred in Woo’s classic 1986 film, “A Better Tomorrow,” dropped out of the director’s $80-million “Red Cliff” just as shooting got under way. He was the film’s biggest star.
The 51-year-old Hong Kong actor said he submitted a request to pull out through his lawyers Friday because he only got the script last week and didn’t have enough time to prepare. Officials for the movie dispute this, saying they couldn’t work with Chow because he made unreasonable demands.
The producer said Chow was promised $5 million for the movie, plus royalties from box-office returns.
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