Jay Chou to Slam Dunk

Pop music superstar Jay Chou has announced he will head up the cast of a domestic-made basketball film entitled "Slam Dunk".

The film is scheduled to begin shooting by next May and will be released just before the Beijing 2008 Olympics, as revealed at a press conference on Monday.

R&B singer-songwriter Jay said at the press conference that basketball is his favorite sport and he enjoys hearing others cheering while he's playing. He even offered to play a 3-on-3 game after the conference.

Zhu Yanping, the director of the film, revealed to the press that he is trying to invite China's NBA all-star center Yao Ming to play a role in the film. Jay also expressed his willingness to cooperate with Yao, saying that he would be extremely excited if Yao could come.

In 2004, Yao put out an autobiographical documentary film, "The Year of the Yao".