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BEIJING — Top Chinese helmer Zhang Yimou is starting work on a new pic "Amazing Tales — Three Guns" and the project has already passed the first approval stage at the Film Bureau.

Pic will be divided into two parts, the China Film website reported, one part a suspense thriller and the other a comedy. Sun Honglei, Ni Dahong, Xiao Shenyang and Wang Xiaohua are in the frame to star.

The "Raise the Red Lantern" helmer orchestrated last year's Olympics opening festival and will also choreograph a huge parade in October to mark the 60th anniversary of the Communist Party's accession to power, but has been quiet on the film front since "Curse of the Golden Flower" in 2006.

He has also invited scribes Shi Jianquan and Shang Jing to collaborate on the project.

Lensing is set to start in Gansu province in June with a view to a release at Chinese New Year.