“Shanghai” Movie Stills

Directed by Mikael Hafstrom, “Shanghai” stars John Cusak and features Asian stars, Chow Yun-fat, Gong Li and Ken Watanabe tells the story of an American who returned to the 1940s Japanese-occupied Shanghai to investigate his friend’s death and during his investigation he discovers government secret.

Jeffrey Dean Morgan stars opposite John Cusack and Ken Watanabe in the movie.

Cusack will play a friend who sets out to investigate and finds himself embroiled in a cover-up.

Morgan will play Connor, an American murdered in Japanese-occupied Shanghai before the attack on Pearl Harbor.

The film is expected to be released sometime in 2009.

Director: Mikael Hafstrom
Writer: Hossein Amini
Starring: John Cusack, Li Gong, Ken Watanabe

Jeffrey Dean Morgan Moves to “Shanghai”

Former “Grey’s Anatomy” star Jeffrey Dean Morgan is to star opposite John Cusack and Ken Watanabe in the thriller “Shanghai”.The Hollywood Reporter says that Morgan will play Connor, an American murdered in Japanese-occupied Shanghai before the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Cusack will play a friend who sets out to investigate and finds himself embroiled in a cover-up.

The film is currently in production in Thailand with ‘1408′ director Mikael Hafstrom directing.

“Shanghai” goes to Thailand

“Shanghai” was not allowed to film in China. It has been said that the shooting of the film will be moved to another Asian location. The Weinstein Company’s drama has been set to be relocated to Thailand.

On the relocating, the production house’s co-owner Harvey Weinstein revealed that Thailand wasn’t the studio’s first pick for the re-location as the studio has considered other Asian locations including Hong Kong.

“Hong Kong doesn’t have the colonial era setting we need; it is difficult to find a building here less than 50 stories high,” explained the movie executive. “So we will be going to Thailand and, believe it or not, England.”

The film reportedly couldn’t take its principal photography in China because there are concerns from the China’s official about the script.

Though refusing to openly reveal the reason behind the denied filming permit, the director of international cooperation at China’s Film Bureau, Luan Guozhi stated on a telephone interview with The Associated Press on February 13,

“We suggest they make some changes to the script and resubmit their application.” A day prior, “Shanghai” producer Mike Medavoy announced the country’s decision on blocking the permit.

Directed by Mikael Hafstrom, “Shanghai” stars John Cusak and features Asian stars, Chow Yun-fat, Gong Li and Ken Watanabe tells the story of an American who returned to the 1940s Japanese-occupied Shanghai to investigate his friend’s death and during his investigation he discovers government secret. The film is expected to be released sometime in 2009.

China has blocked ‘Shanghai’

China has blocked a Hollywood movie reportedly starring John Cusack and Gong Li from being shot in the country because of concerns about the script.

Luan Guozhi, director of international cooperation at China’s Film Bureau, declined to reveal the government’s concerns about the story for “Shanghai,” but said the filmmakers could make changes and reapply.

“We suggest they make some changes to the script and resubmit their application,” he said.

“Shanghai” is about an American who investigates his friend’s death in World War II-era Japanese-occupied Shanghai.

Zhang Ziyi and Ken Watanabe in ‘Memoirs of a Geisha’

Producer Mike Medavoy confirmed China’s decision to block the shoot, but didn’t give a reason for the denial.

Filmmakers have already spent hundreds of thousands of dollars and director Mikael Hafstrom has been in China since September preparing for the movie.

According to Variety, Hafstrom plans to move the shoot to Hong Kong.

Variety has reported the movie stars Cusack, China’s Gong Li and Japan’s Ken Watanabe, and that producers are in negotiations with Hong Kong actor Chow Yun-fat.

Japan’s World War II-era invasion of China is a sensitive topic, especially about Nanjing, where historians say Japanese troops killed 150,000 Chinese civilians and raped tens of thousands of women in 1937.

Other filmmakers have had difficulty getting official approval for projects set in the same era.

Oscar winner Ang Lee acknowledged he edited dialogue in his spy thriller “Lust, Caution,” also set in World War II-era Japanese-occupied Shanghai, so that the main character would appear less of a traitor to the Chinese cause.

“Memoirs of a Geisha,” a Hollywood movie starring Gong Li and another major Chinese star, Zhang Ziyi, as Japanese entertainers, wasn’t shown in China amid speculation officials feared the film would spark a major backlash.

‘Shanghai’ New Movie (2009)

An American man (John Cusack), who returns to a corrupt, Japanese-occupied Shanghai four months before Pearl Harbor and discovers his friend has been killed. While he unravels the mysteries of the death, he falls in love and discovers a much larger secret that his own government is hiding.

Ken Watanabe, Japanese Oscar-nominated actor, to English-speaking audiences is known for playing roles as General Tadamichi Kuribayashi in ‘Letters from Iwo Jima’, Lord Katsumoto in ‘The Last Samurai’ (for which he was nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Supporting Actor category) and The Chairman in ‘Memoirs of a Geisha’ with Zhang Ziyi and Gong Li.

Director: Mikael Hafstrom
Writer: Hossein Amini
Starring: John Cusack, Li Gong, Ken Watanabe