Producer Terence Chang is moving full-steam into Chinawith three mid-budget films to be shot on the mainland - all of them on top ofJohn Woo's 2007 production of Battle Of Red Cliff, set to be China'smost expensive film ever.

Chang is ready to roll on the first, an as-yet-untitled1930s-era gangster film, in September in Shanghai,with first timer Alexi Tan set to direct. The budgeton all three films, to be made under Chang and Woo's Lion Rock Productionsbanner, is set around the $10m mark.

"I've been meeting with people in Beijingfor Red Cliff and I can see there's alot of money, a lot of opportunities right now in China,"said Chang. "And there's an obvious gap in the market, with the bigger films allaiming for Cannes or Venice and not much in the way of regular commercialfeatures."

The second project is an adaptation of a Japanese comicbook, Iron Fist Chinmi,to be financed by un-named Korean and Japanese investors, but to be shot in China.

The third, City Of Nine Dragons, is a 1950s-era Hong Kong film being developed with London'sBlue Star.

As previously announced, Chang is also producing $5m Thaiaction film Detour, also to bedirected by Alexi Tan, but with script problems that has been pushed back and Tan is moving to the Shanghaiproduction. Chang says the Shanghaifilm will be "very different" from current Chinaproductions, with a Venezuelan composer and a Belgian photographer; Chang isalso talking to Hong Kongdesigner Vivian Tam about costumes.

Woo's next feature is still set to be the Studio Canalremake of Jean Pierre Melville's The RedCircle, aiming for a European shoot - most likely London. That is currentlyundergoing another rewrite.

Woo will then move on to Red Cliff in 2007; budgeted at $50m, it is anticipated to takeclose to a year to shoot. At yesterday's Filmart convention in Hong Kong, local superstar Tony Leung acknowledged that would be among the stars featured in the large-scale film.