A stuntman lost his life in an unfortunate accident while filming an action sequence in a John Woo movie, on location in Beijing, the Chinese capital.

A fire swept through the set of director John Woo’s upcoming Chinese-language historical epic, “Red Cliff.” One stuntman died and six other persons were injured in the accident.

A small boat had been set on the fire by the special effects crew for the scene but the sequences did not run along to plan – the boat crashed into a larger vessel as it was supposed to, only to have the fire and destruction get out of control.

Both boats were engulfed by flames before the fire could be extinguished.

The stuntman who lost his life was only 23 years old, the Beijing News reported, as quoted by the Associated Press. The other injured crew members were taken to a nearby hospital. Their condition is not yet known.

Producers said in a statement they were “deeply distraught and full of regret.”

John Woo had been in Honk Kong on a promotional trip. When he learned of the sad accident he rushed back to Beijing. The producers said they were “making every effort to make arrangements for the deceased, his family and the injured crew members.”

This is not the first problem Woo’s project encounters, although it is by far the most disheartening.

The film tells the story of a legendary battle that took place in feudal-era China. Production began 14 months ago, in April 2007, only to soon have the cast go through changes. Actors Chow Yun-fat and Tony Leung withdrew from the film. Leung eventually returned. There have also been set problems.

“Red Cliff” is Woo’s first Chinese-language film in 15 years, following the helming of such Hollywood successes as “Broken Arrow” (starring John Travolta and Christian Slater), “Face/Off” (with John Travolta and Nicolas Cage) and “Mission: Impossible 2” (with Tom Cruise and Thandie Newton).