A film starring Fan Bingbing alongside Bruce Willis got axed after China made an example of her
- Chinese actress Fan Bingbing's new movie "Air Strike" has been scrapped, the director announced on Wednesday, without specifying the reasons.
- The cancelation comes after Fan was publicly disappeared by the Chinese government for three months and fined $129 million for dodging tax on her contracts, including from "Air Strike."
- The movie, which also stars actors Bruce Willis and Adrien Brody, was due to be released on October 26.
A blockbuster movie starring Chinese actress Fan Bingbing and Bruce Willis has been scrapped, the director announced on Wednesday. It comes after the star was publicly disappeared and fined $129 million by the Chinese state over tax evasion.
The filming for "Air Strike," a World War II thriller had been completed and the movie due to release on October 26, the Associated Press reported. It also starred Adrien Brody, who won an Oscar for "The Pianist" in 2002.
Xiao Feng, the director of the film, on Wednesday wrote on microblogging site Weibo that it was "time to let go," without specifying the reasons for the cancelation.
"Leaving the movie is not the same as giving up. Just pity 'Air Strike,' the eight-year-old child!" Xiao wrote, suggesting that he spent eight years on the project.
Watch the movie trailer below:
It's not clear whether the actors, director, and other crew members had been paid for the movie in full prior to its cancelation.
The movie's cancelation is the latest development in Fan's recent troubles.
In May, she was accused of signing secret contracts for her projects to avoid paying higher taxes. Chinese state media said Fan used this tactic with "Air Strike," the Associated Press reported on Wednesday.
In early July, Fan then disappeared from the public eye for three months amid those allegations, and was reportedly detained in a luxury resort until the Chinese government fined her $129 million for tax evasion in early October.
Fan broke her silence that same day, apologizing to the Chinese government and her fans, and saying she was "deeply ashamed" of her actions.
She was spotted leaving Beijing airport on Tuesday - her first public appearance since she vanished in July.
Fan's humbling served as a warning shot from China to show that nobody can escape their scrutiny.
Roderic Wye, an associate fellow at Chatham House and former first secretary in the British Embassy in Beijing, previously told Business Insider that China's message is that "nobody is too high, nobody is above, nobody can escape government scrutiny."