According to wire reports, Wong Kar-Wai's long-awaited 2046 could miss its premiere at Cannes, because it isn't quite ready yet. Despite the fact that Wong has been working on this project for four years, he's still scrambling to get it finished in time. Reminds me of college.

Elsewhere, this interview with Tony Leung, Wong's favorite leading man and one of the most splendid actors in the world, includes some interesting hints about the plot of 2046, including the disclosure that it's partially a sequel to In the Mood for Love. Leung's account of how he was "tricked" into playing a gay character in Happy Together is also illuminating:

Wong didn't persuade Leung to play the role; he tricked him. "He gave me a fake script," Leung laughs. "Originally my character wasn't gay--his father was. In my script, the father dies in Argentina and I go there and find out he had a lover, who is Leslie. So we go to Argentina and we spend six weeks learning Spanish and the tango. And after that, Kar-wai says, 'I think it would be much more interesting if your role is gay.' I was surprised, but not angry. We start shooting the next day--and the first scene is a love scene."

It's hard to think of another contemporary director who could get away with something like that. Well, maybe Lars von Trier.