Michelle Yeoh in Ang Lee's "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" [sina.com]

Former Bond girl Michelle Yeoh is to star in an upcoming kung fu movie directed by John Woo, she said Sunday, adding that she's not avoiding action movies despite a recent break from the genre.

The "Tomorrow Never Dies" and "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" actress told a press conference at the 12th Shanghai International Film Festival that the Chinese-language film will start shooting in China in September.

She said Woo will share directing duties in the film - tentatively called "The Sword and the Martial Arts World" - with Taiwan filmmaker Su Chao-Pin, who directed the horror film "Silk".

Yeoh made her name as an action star. Her recent roles in "Memoirs of a Geisha" (2005) and "Far North" (2007) have veered toward drama, but the 46-year-old actress said she still feels fit enough to handle action.

"I don't let age limit me," Yeoh said, adding she chose those projects because she enjoyed the stories, not because they were less physically taxing.

The film is Woo's first new project since his US$80-million epic "Red Cliff".

(CRI June 22, 2009)