Hong Kong's Media Asia isplanning to produce two films this year from Infernal Affairs directors Andrew Lau and Alan Mak as part of anambitious slate of between eight and ten productions.

First up is HK$60m ($7.7m)thriller Behind The Sin which isset to star Tony Leung Chiu-wai and scheduled to start shooting in May.

The film tells the story oftwo friends - one a cop and the other a private detective - who investigate themurder of the cop's father-in-law. Media Asia is currently in talks withpotential co-producers on the project.

The second as-yet-untitledfilm from Lau and Mak is a period epic set in Hong Kong in the 1940s. Set to startshooting in the second half of the year, it revolves around a trader frommainland China who moves to Hong Kong, attempts to set up a business andinevitably gets mixed up with local gangsters.

Hot Taiwanesesinger-turned-actor Jay Chou has been lined up to star in the film, which islikely to be set up as a co-production with a mainland Chinese partner.

Lau and Mak are white-hotafter the hugely successful Infernal Affairs trilogy and last year's pan-Asian hit Initial D. Lau also recently wrapped his first Hollywoodproduction, The Flock, starringRichard Gere for Bauer Martinez Studios.

Meanwhile, Media Asia isalso developing a project for box office queen Sammi Cheng and an untitledmartial arts action film to be directed by Teddy Chen starting this summer.

Previously announcedprojects on Media Asia's slate include Feng Xiaogang's The Banquet, starring Zhang Ziyi, Johnnie To's Exiled, which is currently shooting in Macau, and Pang HoCheung's Isabella that recentlywon Silver Bear for music at Berlin.

The company has alsoacquired Greater China rights to The Departed, the English-language remake of its Infernal Affairstrilogy directed by Martin Scorsese.

Topics