This movie had been divided in two parts for the theatrical release in the Asian market. The American release will be the condensed version of these two parts. The reason given was that the Asian viewers are more familiar with the characters and their exploits while the western viewers might be confused with the numerous characters and their similar names (therefore keeping it simple for the US market).
The film makers received help from the Chinese Army who lent them approximately 1500 soldiers to play extras and build roads.
With an estimated budget of US$80 million, this is the most expensive Asian-financed film to date.
Ken Watanabe was originally selected for the role of Cao Cao. According to a report, some Chinese fans voiced objections over the choice as they felt that it was inappropriate for a Japanese actor to portray an important Chinese historical figure. The report claimed that the protests influenced the decision of John Woo, who eventually chose Fengyi Zhang for the role.
During post-production, a 23-year-old stuntman was killed and six others injured when fire broke out after a small boat rammed into a larger warship, while filming miniatures.
John Woo: [Two Guns] In this case, it was two swords, as the movie takes place in 208 A.D. Zhou Yu and Prime Minister Cao Cao each hold a sword to the others throat in John Woo's trademark "Mexican Standoff" image.
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