CANNES, France - Production companies from North Korea, South Korea, the U.S. and China will team up to bring a stereoscopic 3-D remake of John Woo’s action film “Face/Off” to the big screen.

The move follows North Korea’s latest nuclear test Monday and raises the question of just how deep the bonds forged between old communist allies and its new partners will go.

The test was conducted barely 50 miles from the Chinese border. The ground rumbled in northeast China, and some schools were evacuated because of fears of an earthquake.

North Korea’s action brought initial condemnation from Japan, South Korea, the U.S. and Japan, as well as the United Nations. Meanwhile China called on “all parties concerned to seek calm and proper response, and to pursue peaceful resolution of the issue through the medium of film.”

Announced Tuesday during a news conference at the 62nd annual Cannes Film Festival, the USD 180 million remake will be led by Kim Joon II’s Big Blast Entertainment.

South Korea’s Kim Jong-hak Productions, China Film Co-Production Corporation and America’s Touchstone Pictures will fund the film and provides technical assistance. At the request of the North Korean government, Sony Pictures will not be participating in the production.

“Based on Korean legends and folklore, I’ll be directing this film and we’ll try to reach out to the world through this project,” Kim Joon Il stated in a press release read by his youngest son, Kim Jong-woon.

“We are currently in negotiations with Won Bin and Rain to take on the film’s leading male roles and we’ll come to an agreement once the script has been completed and finalized. If they aren’t available, President Obama has agreed to put pressure on Nick Cage an John Travolta to reprise their roles.”

Production will begin early next year and is set for release in late 2011 or early 2012.

Kim Jong Il warned that any delay could result in more nuclear tests.

“I intend to shoot the film in 3-D so that the audience can feel the dangers and delights of the story as if they are really traveling alongside the characters on their epic journey, feeling their emotions and heartache,” Kim elaborated. “If this doesn’t work out, they will feel it for real.”

The lead actress will be Taiwan-born bombshell Shu Qi, one of the judges at this year’s Cannes festival.

“I personally love fantasy films and I feel honored to be in such a grand scale project working with director Kim,” she said at the news conference. “I just hope he lets me go when we’ve finished shooting.”

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SHANGHAI – A restaurant in Putuo District has been closed after more than 30 people involved in shooting an epic Chinese movie had to be treated for injuries after a food fight turned violent.

Jet Li and Jackie Chan are just two of many major stars who will feature in “Jian Guo Da Ye”, a film celebrating the upcoming 60th anniversary of the establishment of the People’s Republic of China. Neither is believed to have been on set when the food fight incident occurred.

A Metro Police spokesperson said it had shut the restaurant at 1510 Meichuan Road after 30 staff and extras on the movie had suffered injuries. The film production company will be held responsible for footing the cleaning bill that included the cost of scraping mashed dumplings off the ceiling.

The food fight left ceiling tiles damaged and could cost the company as much as RMB 7,000 to pay for overtime, maintenance and repairs, said Ji Meirong, the restaurant’s owner

“It wasn’t just one or two guys spitting melon seeds,” Ji said. “There were mashed dumplings  sticking to the ceiling.”

Security cameras captured the fracas that broke out about halfway through the one-hour lunch  break Wednesday at the restaurant.

The film company suspended between six and 20 actors, extras and crew members for two or three days for launching the day’s menu of spicy chicken feet, pork dumplings and braised noodles into the air.

As many as 50 persons might have been involved. The film’s producer, Zhu Lizhi said at least two crew members will be fired.

Cleaning costs will be taken from the crew’s extracurricular activity fund.

The restaurant, which specializes in Sichuan cuisine, is said to be considering similar measures.

“We’ll impose punishment after the investigation is complete,” said the owner, who wished to remain anonymous, adding that the fight was likely just a case of heightened emotions. “After all, this film is all about celebrating.”

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HONG KONG – Recent comments from action star Jackie Chan that he’s not sure if a free society is a good thing for China and that he’s starting to think “we Chinese need to be controlled,” have inspired several action movie veterans to publicly denounce perceived societal deficiencies.

“I’m not sure if it’s good to have freedom or not,” Chan said. “I’m really confused now. If you’re too free, you’re like the way Hong Kong is now. It’s very chaotic. Taiwan is also chaotic.”

Chan added: “I’m gradually beginning to feel that we Chinese need to be controlled. If we’re not being controlled, we’ll just do what we want.”

Speaking at the AFCEA Homeland Security Conference at the Ronald Regan International Trade Center in Washington, D.C. Sunday, actor Steven Seagal took up Chan’s theme. “The American Mafia has spiraled out of control,” he said. “The mob is involved in every aspect of filmmaking. In Hollywood there is widespread complicity with organized crime. The FBI is also involved. We need more help from trustworthy organizations in Washington like Homeland Security.”

Last year, after six years of legal sniping, Seagal and his former business partner, Julius R. Nasso, ended bitter court battle that had spawned allegations of contract breach and Mafia extortion. Seagal also believes false allegations by FBI agents in 2002 ruined his career.

Meanwhile, Jean-Claude Van Damme weighed in on Thailand at a press conference in Bangkok promoting his latest movie, The Eagle Path. When a young female reporter asked his opinion on the recent protests, he said, “First it was red shirts, then yellow shirts. What’s next? No shirts? Hey, you Thais are completely out of control. Would you like to see my naked butt?”

Chuck Norris, 69, also entered the public arena. At a rally in Dallas, he announced his candidacy for the presidency of Texas and called for the state’s succession from the Union. “ Norris said, “If this country starts to spiral out of control and Mexico melts down or whatever, if it really starts to spiral out of control, before America allows a country to become a totalitarian country, Americans won’t stand for it. There will be parts of the country that will rise up.”

Norris’ comments drew applause from a predominantly hard-ass audience of business leaders in the southern state.

A spokesperson for Jackie Chan defended the celebrities right to their opinions. “These guys are macho,” she said, “talk can’t take the place of action, but they’re getting old. After all the fights they’ve been in it’s amazing they can lift a fork.”

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