John Woo, the legendary action director, has said that he would like Liam Neeson to star in his upcoming World War II movie, "The Flying Tigers".

The movie is based on the true story of a fighter squadron, under Lieutenant General Claire Chennault, who help the Chinese fight the Japanese before the United States enter the war.

According the Hollywood Reporter, when Woo was asked who would play Chennault, he said "It's got to be a star but it's hard to find the right one, because at that time Chennault was almost 50-years-old. Ideally, I've been thinking of Liam Neeson as the title [lead] actor."

"The Flying Tigers" is expected to cost over $90 million to shoot and will be shown in IMAX cinemas. Shooting for the movie will begin in spring 2011.