Sun Honglei (leading actor in "Seven Swords") has established his on-screen persona as tough and strong, while former Taiwan-based model Chiling Lin (leading actress in John Woo's "Red Cliff") is known for her charm and beauty. The pair will team up for a costume action comedy "Jue Zhan Sha Ma Zhen" (roughly translated as "Duel at Shama Town") and are expected to create an unusual beauty and the beast blend.

The film is set in a northwestern town, where a guardian team led by Sun fights against a group of well-equipped international thieves for a hidden treasure. Lin's role remains confi - dential. She disclosed that her performance in the film could be considered a breakthrough.

"This is my first comedy and the character is very unique," she said. She added that she had seen Sun's previous works and jumped at the opportunity to work with him. Sun said that he was initially a bit nervous as he had never worked with an actress as beautiful as Lin. "Jue Zhan Sha Ma Zhen" is expected to finish shooting by the end of the year and hit cinema screens in China in next summer.