Action hero Jackie Chan will star in a big-budget, Hong Kong-produced adaptation of the ancient battle manual "The Art Of War."

The 2,000-year-old book by philosopher Sun Tzu, which recently enjoyed a revival thanks to being mentioned prominently in the TV series "The Sopranos," was also a favourite among aggressive business tycoons in the 1980s.

The Hollywood Reporter says Chan's adaptation will be shot in Mandarin, with a budget as high as $624 million Hong Kong dollars, equivalent to more than $123 million in Canadian dollars.

The Hollywood Reporter said Chan recently announced that the film's epic battle sequences won't make use of computer-generated effects -- as has become the norm in action films -- and will instead employ a mind-boggling supporting cast of up to two million extras for the war scenes.

"We want to do it without the help of computer effects. I hope that the results will rival computer-effects scenes in Hollywood movies," Chan said.

"I wanted to do something Chinese and find a story that people would understand. I've come to know that almost everyone has heard of the treatise."

Before that film gets underway, Chan will make "Operation Condor 3". That film will begin shooting in India next year, with a budget less than half that earmarked for "The Art Of War," The Hollywood Reporter said.

Chan's current Hong Kong release, "The Accidental Spy," is to be released in North America at Christmas. Next month, he begins shooting the smuggling drama "Highbinders", and in August, the sequel to his breakthrough Hollywood release, "Rush Hour 2," opens in North America.


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