f King Hu in Hollywood: Making The Battle of Ono

The Battle of Ono was supposed to be King Hu’s American feature debut. But after more than two decades of devoted efforts to develop and finance this ambitious project, King Hu suddenly passed away before principal photography could begin. Now, more than twenty years since his death, there exists no in-depth documentations nor comprehensive studies of the great Chinese director’s unfulfilled Hollywood experience. To patch a long void in our knowledge of King Hu’s late-career activities and struggles in Hollywood, this article chronicles the development of The Battle of Ono and King Hu’s dauntless navigations through the American film industry, and examines the significant challenges and incidents King Hu had faced in his pioneering yet futile efforts to conquer Hollywood.