According to the Hollywood Reporter, Hong Kong action auteur John Woo has been inspired by the Olympic Games to make a sports-themed film. In an innovative twist, the director aims to use real athletes as the key actors in the project.

Though producing partner Terence Chang has played down Woo’s proclamation, delivered at a Beijing charity dinner, as “probably wishful thinking”, the Hong Kong legend appeared eager as he stated…

“I have wanted to produce a sports-themed movie for some time now. I want real athletes to be my lead actors so that we can portray the athlete’s spirit accurately.”

Considering the huge buzz around the recent Beijing Olympics and the vast medal haul taken by the host nation it’s unsurprising that Woo’s imagination has been captivated. The director of The Killer and Face/Off names double gold medal-winning diver Guo Jingjing and hurdling icon Liu Xiang as two ideal cast members, though he can effectively pick and choose with the amount of sporting talent available in China.

Any Olympic endeavour won’t materialise until after the Hard-Boiled director has completed work on 1949, a historical epic based around the Communist revolution which is currently in pre-production. Woo is also set to make a sequel to Red Cliff, another historical feature set during the Han dynasty which has yet to receive its Western release.

Though it seems to be very much an embryonic idea, the basic concept of casting athletes to give authentic credibility to a sports film is certainly interesting. Woo’s artistic handling of action cinema is legendary, and looking to genuine sports people to add a sense physical realism to things makes a lot of sense. Acting-wise, Woo may even manage to convert an Asian athlete towards a career in acting to follow the trajectory of O.J. Simpson and Vinnie Jones as two examples.

If this can be pulled together, a release around the London Olympics in 2012 would be ideal and would no doubt serve as a rousing rally cry for the Chinese nation as it seeks to defend its dominance at the apex of the athletic world.