Wong Kar-wai is gearing upto work this year with multi-platinum singer Norah Jones who will make heracting debut in his first English-language film which has the working title My Blueberry Nights.

Based on a short film thatWong shot in Hong Kong several years ago, the film will be co-produced byStudioCanal and Wong's Jet Tone Productions. Production is expected to startsoon in New York.

Meanwhile, Wong'shighly-anticipated collaboration with Nicole Kidman, Lady From Shanghai, also a co-production with StudioCanal, has beenpushed back to 2007. Kidman has committed to work on the picture betweenJanuary and May next year.

Various other stars haverecently been mentioned in connection with Wong's upcoming films includingAdrien Brody, Rachel Weisz and Ewan McGregor. But due to his unorthodox methods,not everyone he works with ends up in the final cut.

Hong Kong's most notoriousarthouse director, Wong usually shoots without a script and works for longperiods with actors who are often kept in the dark about the character they'replaying. However, he is expected to take a more structured approach on theKidman picture.

Although no budget detailsof Lady From Shanghai are currentlyavailable, the film is reported to be a big production set in the 1950s andrevolving around "a woman who finds danger in the Far East". The film is expected to shoot in St Petersburg with Jean-Louis Piel producing.

StudioCanal is a financialco-producer on Lady From Shanghai andis also handling sales outside the US and Asia. Several territories have already been soldincluding Germany (Concorde) and Italy (Medusa). Jet Tone holds Asian rights.

Wong Kar-wai is alsodeveloping a third project, a biopic of Bruce Lee's kung-fu master Yip Man,which is set to star Tony Leung Chiu-wai. The film is now expected to shoot in2008 after both My Blueberry Nightsand Lady From Shanghai.

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