SEOUL (THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - Korean star Song Seung Heon has been cast in a Chinese war film, in which he will star opposite American actor Bruce Willis, his agency confirmed on Wednesday.

The high-budget war film has a working title of Da Hong Zha, loosely translated as Great Explosion.

Production costs are estimated at a staggering 100 billion won (S$121 million) - far above the combined average of Willis' five Die Hard films - according to industry sources.

"When his preparations are concluded, Song Seung Heon will take part in filming both in Korea and China," said his agency.

Song plays a United States-dispatched fighter pilot deployed in Korea in the film set against the backdrop of World War II.

His military instructor is played by Willis, well-known for his action roles.

The film has already started filming and is scheduled for release in the latter half of next year.

The supporting cast includes Chinese actors Liu Ye, Nicholas Tse and Huang Shengyi.

The film, with its international cast, is Song's first war action film and second Chinese film.

His Chinese romantic film The Third Way Of Love, based on the bestselling Chinese online novel, is in post-production and slated for release later this year.