Spy thriller "Shanghai" will hit Chinese screens in June, domestic web portal sohu.com reports.

Stars of the film "Shanghai", Chow Yun-fat, Gong Li and John Cusack (From left to right) [CRI]

The film is directed by Swede Mikael Hafstrom and co-stars Chinese-born Singaporean actress Gong Li, Hong Kong actor Chow Yun-fat and American actor John Cusack, who previously worked with the director on horror movie "1408".

The story takes place during World War II in Shanghai, China. An American reporter in the city, played by John Cusack, discovers that his friend has been murdered. So he launches his own investigation to search for the killer. During the process, he falls in love with a Shanghai woman, played by Gong Li, and runs into trouble with the local gangster boss, played by Chow Yun-fat.

According to the report, the film was supposed to shoot in Shanghai, but permission wasn't granted by the relevant authorities due to a plot involving drugs and prostitution. The shoot later moved to London and Thailand, with production wrapping in August 2008.

China will be the first country in the world to screen the film.