Cusack lands a Gong

Shanghaiist has a soft spot for John Cusack, and an even softer spot for Gong Li ( despite what those eejuts at CCTV might think), so we were mildly excited to read that the two are pairing up to film in Shanghai at some point next year. Okay, the odds of bumping into Ms Gong in our local Lian Hua may be slim, but as the movie is set in Japanese-occupied Shanghai just before Pearl Harbour was bombed, we reckon there's a pretty good chance of landing a part as an extra in one of the inevitable mass-panic-and-flee scenes, and getting to strike up a conversation with the lady herself at the catering wagon between takes. It's being directed by Mikael Hafstrom, who just worked with Cusack on 1408, the adaptation of a Stephen King story, which we still haven't watched yet. Though someone told us it was "alright". Bodes well!

Photo from ChinaDaily.com