John Woo to direct China epic May 22, 2008 Face Off director to helm 1949 Face Off director John Woo is to helm an epic about the communist takeover of China. The film, titled 1949, will revolve around a love story set in the final years of China’s civil war. The £20 million movie, to be shot in Chinese, will star Seong Hye-kyo and Chang Chen. Lust, Caution writer Wong Hui-Ling will pen the screenplay. Woo is in Cannes promoting two-part war film Red Cliff, his first feature since 2003’s Paycheck. 1949 is scheduled for a December 2009 release to mark the 60th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China.