Fortune Star, the new production division of News Corp's Star TV group, is teaming up with DreamWorks to distribute Hong Kong Cafe, a one-hour TV series celebrating Hong Kong action movies and martial arts.

The series will feature clips from Star's 600-title library which includes films starring Jackie Chan, Bruce Lee, Chow Yun-fat and Michelle Yeoh.

DreamWorks will distribute in the US and Fortune Star in Asia. Production starts this month in Los Angeles with the US' Triage Entertainment and West End Stories co-producing. "In recent years there has been a literal explosion of interest in martial arts films, or pictures inspired by them in America," said series creator Mitchell Stuart. "There's a real appetite for this genre of filmmaking."

The set of Hong Kong Cafe will be reminiscent of the bars and restaurants seen in Hong Kong movies and will be frequented by a cast of rising stars.

The series "regulars" will provide conversation along with fashion and music elements between the clips. Fortune Star, headed by former Media Asia deputy general manager Peter Poon, is also producing a TV movie, An Autumn Tale, and a 90-minute picture about Bruce Lee, Jet Li and Jackie Chan, The Three Kings Of The Orient. Poon expects to unveil the company's debut theatrical slate some time before Mifed.