BANGKOK -- Movie director Oliver Stone has expressed interest in helping to promote the Thai historical film ***"Bang Rajan"*** in the United States, a news report said Wednesday.

The report follows Hollywood legend Francis Ford Coppola's infatuation with another Thai historical drama, ***"Suriyothai"***, which is scheduled to be premiered in its new, Coppola-edited form in New York in October, DPA reported.

Both films are about Thai resistance to invasions from Myanmar (Burma) and depict epic battle scenes.

The***Nation*** newspaper quoted ***"Bang Rajan"*** producer Adirek Watleela as saying Stone and his son had watched a special screening of the movie on Monday night in Bangkok and had been impressed. "We had been afraid that Stone wouldn't like our movie," Adirek said. "We even told him to leave the theatre any time if he didn't like it. But he watched the movie to the end and even stood up and applauded to show his appreciation."

He said Stone had requested a copy of ***"Bang Rajan"*** to take back to the U.S. and may help the Thai film-makers find the right contacts for a general release to American audiences. "We even asked for his comments to see if we should edit any parts to connect with the American audience," Adirek said. "But Stone told us that it's already complete. We expect to hear from him soon.