Ang Lee to shoot Thrilla in Manila here

MANILA, Philippines - At an open forum Thursday afternoon, multi-awarded Taiwan-born Hollywood director Ang Lee said without giving details that he was going to shoot a movie in Manila, saying only that it’s going to be “about boxing.”

According to a STAR source, the 3D movie is about the 1975 Thrilla in Manila bout between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier. The morning before the presscon, Ang Lee made an ocular inspection of possible locations including the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City where the historic bout was held.

Ang Lee checked out every nook and cranny of the Big Dome, including the dressing rooms used by Ali and Frazier, the nearby Ali Mall (named after Ali), the Malacañang area and CCP. (See full story on  Ang Lee’s Manila visit below.)