Mel Gibson during one of his directing duties. (Photo : www.deadline.com/Gibbofan)
Oscar award-winning director and actor Mel Gibson joined the bandwagon of Hollywood stars hopping on China to produce films.
Gibson, who won Best Director for “Braveheart,” signed as a consultant for the movie “The Bombing.”
The Chinese film, which slates Hollywood action star Bruce Willis, is a 3D war film that will revolve around Chongqing’s bombardment during World War II.
The producers announced their plans to cast another prominent Hollywood actor in the movie.
The shooting of the film has started near the eastern city of Ningbo.
The movie’s Chinese producers, led by China Film Production’s Yang Buting, confirmed that Gibson will go to China in July to supervise the directing.
According to Alan Nierob, the actor’s publicist, Gibson will tour to China before heading to Australia for pre-production work on his next directorial stint, “Hacksaw Ridge.”
Shi Jianxiang, the primary investor on the project, said that Gibson was asked to take part in the project because "he is resourceful and smart, very interested in that piece of history, and suggested many ideas they appreciate."
“America has a relatively short history but you have a much greater technology in film,” said Yang. “So we are trying to take the history of China and meld it with the modern technology of America to make a modern film that is of the highest quality.”
“The Bombing” will be directed by Xiao Feng and will also feature South Korea’s Song Seung-heon and Hong Kong actors Nicholas Tse and William Chan.
A Chinese-language war film, “The Bombing” allegedly has a $90-million budget, one of the largest ever in Chinese cinema.
