Korean Actor Jang to Debut in Hollywood with Chinese Zhang Ziyi

The Korean movie star Jang Dong-gun is set to make his Hollywood debut alongside Chinese starlet Zhang Ziyi.

The Korean actor will star in his first American movie, the Western fantasy "Laundry Warrior". The film will be produced by rising director Lee Seung-moo, and will be produced in America in a joint Chinese/Korean collaboration.

The presence of veteran producer Barrie Osborne, whose credits include "The Matrix" and the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, make this a unique opportunity for Jang. Osborne has set up a production company specifically for this project, using the movie title for the company name.

Boram Movies, which has had extensive dealings with many top Asian stars, will be sending its representative Lee Joo-ik to produce. Lee has had previous experiences in other joint projects, including "Seven Swords" and "A Battle of Wits".

The Chinese actress Zhang has been confirmed as Jang's partner for this project. She is famous throughout the world for her roles in "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", "House of Flying Daggers", "Memoirs of a Geisha" and "The Banquet".

Jang's long rumored Hollywood debut is expected to be finalized once contract negotiations are concluded this month. The hiring of the rest of the cast and crew is almost complete as well.

China's Xinhua News Agency has reported that Zhang's next film will be a Western love story with Jang, and that shooting is scheduled to start in May.

Jang's camp has also confirmed that "Zhang is definitely on board. We're planning to visit the U.S. to finalize negotiations and sign a contract later this week". However, since the contract has been signed, Jang's representatives are being wary of revealing any salary information.

The production budget for "Laundry Warrior" has been announced at $30 million. Taking their cue from the current hit "300", the producers plan to emphasize bold visual effects, and say the blockbuster level budget will be more than enough to satisfy the director's vision.

Jang, along with Boram Movies, will be officially announcing the production of the movie in press conferences in the US and Korea once his contract has been finalized.

Jang starred in the Chinese/Korean collaboration "The Promise" under Kaige Chen's direction, and has been studying English since finishing his last movie "Typhoon". He is currently staying in the US to take part in this project.