Mr Yang said Mr Huo, who lives in Tianjin , was upset by the film's 'untruthful details', which hurt the reputation of Huo Yuanjia and his descendants.

'The film says Huo Yuanjia caused trouble that leads to the death of his mother and daughter, and as a result he has no descendants. This is not true,' Mr Yang said. 'He also thinks it's unfair to describe Huo as a person who picks fights and enrols debauched students,' he said.

Mr Yang said a second lawsuit might be pending as his firm was in discussion with Huo's great grandson, Huo Zizheng .

Mr Yang had told mainland media that Jet Li, who plays Huo in the movie and is one of the investors in the film, might also be accused during the hearing.

Cai Kang , a lawyer representing Edko Films in China, declined to comment on the case.

Huo Zizheng said: 'If you make a movie based on a real person, you can't get away by saying it's a fictitious story. The scene in the movie that talks about Huo being defeated by the Japanese people has insulted Chinese martial art. We are also angry that the movie says Huo has no descendants. In fact, he has 11 grandsons.'

Mr Huo admitted that he had no absolute confidence in winning the case but said his family felt compelled to clear Huo Yuanjia's name.

Zhang Hongyan, a publicity manager for Edko Films on the mainland, said: 'We are not aware of the lawsuit.' Ms Zhang said Fearless was the biggest Lunar New Year box-office hit in recent years, with ticket sales of more than 100 million yuan recorded so far.