Legendary director John Woo to use IMAX cameras to shoot war epic Flying Tigers action scenes

IMAX today announced that director John Woo and producer Terence Chang’s next film, the action epic Flying Tigers, will be digitally re-mastered into The IMAX Experience. Woo and Chang are the team behind Mission Impossible II, Face/Off, Red Cliff and many other international blockbusters. Upon being green lit for production, the film would mark an important new filmmaker relationship for IMAX and would be the second announced Chinese film to be released in the enlarged format. Flying Tigers will be a Hollywood/China joint production with China Film Group as the lead Chinese financier, and shooting is expected to begin in spring 2011.

“It has always been a dream of mine to explore shooting with IMAX cameras and to work in the IMAX format, and the strong visual element of this film is incredibly well-suited to the tastes of cinemagoers today,” said director John Woo. “Using IMAX for Flying Tigers would create a new experience for the audience, and I think it would be another breakthrough for Chinese movies.”

China Film Group Chairman Han Sanping stated: “As China’s largest film development, production and distribution company, CFG has been involved with Terence Chang, John Woo and Flying Tigers since the earliest stages of its development. We expect this to be the most important film for China Film Group in 2011. The combination of John Woo, Terence Chang, China Film Group and IMAX will enable this film to attract the widest possible local audience, while also presenting the charm and diversity of Chinese films for fans around the globe.”

“We have always believed that John Woo and IMAX would be an ideal fit,” added Greg Foster, Chairman and President, IMAX Filmed Entertainment. “John Woo and Terence Chang have been enthusiastically integrating the IMAX format into Flying Tigers to ensure the story is told in a way that takes advantage of the unique qualities of The IMAX Experience. When a talented director and producer incorporate IMAX into the fabric of their storytelling, you have a winning combination that creates an incredibly visceral movie experience. We’re very excited about introducing this combination to moviegoers with Flying Tigers.”

Flying Tigers tells the story of the American Volunteer Group and its later incarnation as the Fourteenth Air Force during World War II. Led by the colorful Air Force General Claire Chennault, the joint air force consisting of American and Chinese pilots flying side-by-side racked up one of the most lopsided victories in aerial combat history against the Empire of Japan. Last year Tom Cruise, who worked with Woo on Mission Impossible II, was rumored to be attached to star in ‘Tigers’.

The original Flying Tigers – directed by Midnight Lace helmer David Miller – was released in 1942 and starred John Wayne, John Carroll, Anna Lee, Paul Kelly, Gordon Jones, Mae Clarke, Addison Richards, Edmund MacDonald, Bill Shirley.