Stuntman Dies on Set of Woo Pic

In what is being called a very bizarre set of circumstances a stuntman was killed in an uncontrolled fire while filming John Woo’s newest epic in Beijing, according to Reuters. Besides the one fatality three others were injured. Who they are and the extent of their injuries are not known at this time.

Woo (”Face/Off,” “Mission Impossible II”) wasn’t on the set at the time of the incident. His 2nd DP was filming a sequence for the 208 AD Chinese epic titled “Romance of the Three Kingdoms,” when suddenly a small boat rammed into one of the ancient warships causing an explosion that sent flames jutting as much as 90 feet in the air. Chinese officials are investigating.

“The fire broke out early Monday morning when the crew were shooting a scene in which a small, smoking boat crashed with a large ancient war vessel,” Xinhua news agency said.

The film, takes place during the dying days of the Han dynasty, culminating in the battle of Red Cliff in which 2,000 ships were burnt. It stars Tony Leung, Zhang Fengyi and Takeshi Kaneshiro. None of the primary cast members were injured.