Looks like bootleggers attend Cannes too. A 9 minute promo for John Woo’s Red Cliff appeared online shortly after the Cannes film festival. Red Cliff is the most expensive movie ever filmed in Asia with an estimated $80 Million USD budget. The film is slated to be 4 hours long, but will be split into two part (a la Kill Bill). Supposedly, the first half of the film will be release before he 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, while the second half to be available toward the end of 2008. This epic revolves around the Battle of Red Cliff, a decisive battle in Chinese history. On board for this film are Tony Leung and Takeshi Kaneshiro.

Red Cliff Synopsis

In 208 A.D., in the final days of the Han Dynasty, shrewd Prime Minster Cao Cao convinced the fickle Emperor Han the only way to unite all of China was to declare war on the kingdoms of Xu in the west and East Wu in the south. Thus began a military campaign of unprecedented scale, led by the Prime Minister, himself. Left with no other hope for survival, the kingdoms of Xu and East Wu formed an unlikely alliance. Numerous battles of strength and wit ensued, both on land and on water, eventually culminating in the battle of Red Cliff. During the battle, two thousand ships were burned, and the course of Chinese history was changed forever.

Watch the bootleg promo for John Woo’s Red Cliff