Michelle Yeoh is a hot property in Hollywood this summer, as Mission: Impossible 3 and the Hannibal prequel are both looking to land the Asian lovely. She had been in talks with the M:I3 folks for a while, but it was while visiting the Cannes Film Festival that Yeoh was approached by the Hannibal crew.
The two projects have similar shooting schedules (wait, the Hannibal prequel isn’t going to ever get made either?), and the two productions have been in negotiations to work out a way to get the most Yeoh possible.
The role Yeoh has been offered is not the same one Gong Li was cast in – this film has room for TWO Asians! So progressive.