A fire destroyed almost 100 mannequins that were to be used in a battle scene in Chinese director Feng Xiaogang's new war movie The Assembly.

Feng's assistant Zhang Shu said on Monday the mannequins were ordered from a South Korean company. It is unclear how long filming on the half-completed movie will be delayed.

But Zhang said lead actor Zhang Hanyu, who was injured falling off a horse, has recovered.

The Assembly is adapted from a short story about a soldier who seeks recognition for his fallen comrades during the Chinese civil war between the Communist Party and the Nationalists, who retreated to Taiwan in 1949.

Feng, one of the most successful commercial directors in China, recently released The Banquet, an adaptation of Shakespeare's Hamlet, starring Zhang Ziyi.

(CRI November 28, 2006)