A scene of the film features American pilot Jimmy Doolittle, played by actor Aaron Eckhart, protected by locals in southeastern China after the Tokyo Raid.[Photo provided to China Daily]

With an ensemble cast, the film also has a number of actors starring as real-life war heroes, including Welsh star Luke Evans as Lieutenant Commander Wade McClusky, Patrick Wilson as US Navy rear admiral Edwin Layton, Dennis Quaid as vice-admiral William "Bull" Halsey, and Woody Harrelson as Chester Nimitz, commander in chief of the US Pacific Fleet.

Now, seeing his decades-old dream fulfilled, the film's director reveals he has already started to talk to people and make plans for his next project.

"I'll be back," says Emmerich.