Zhang Yimou's 'Great Wall' to promote Chinese culture
- By Zhang Rui
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E-mail China.org.cn, July 3, 2015
Zhang Yimou and star-studded cast including Andy Lau and Matt Damon appeared for the first time in Beijing on July 2 to promote the mysterious science fiction blockbuster "The Great Wall."
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The leading cast of "The Great Wall" pose for a photo during a press conference of the movie in Beijing, China, on July 2, 2015. Directed by Zhang Yimou, the movie is expected to hit screens globally in November next year. [China.org.cn] |
"The Great Wall," a Sino-US co-production, will finish shooting in August, director Zhang Yimou said on Thursday.
The fantasy film, featuring Chinese and Hollywood stars such as Matt Damon, Willem Dafoe, Pedro Pascal, Andy Lau, Zhang Hanyu, Zheng Kai and Lin Gengxin, as well as Lu Han, Cheney Chen, Karry Wang, Eddie Yu-yen Peng and Jing Tian, centers on mankind's resistance against demon monsters.
To fight evil, an international elite force turns the iconic Great Wall into a weapon to ward off monsters trying to devour humankind, said the director.
The film's plot has been kept a secret and all the actors remained tight-lipped. But Zhang revealed at the press conference that despite getting help from Hollywood, "The Great Wall" is still about Chinese culture, though it has a fantasy story.
"China doesn't have many stories about fighting against monsters. This time I will do it with Chinese cultural messages and make it outstanding and unique, and allow the whole world to experience China and its culture," Zhang said.
"But the biggest pressure for me is to make it understandable for everyone, not just Chinese audiences, but young people all over the world," Zhang said. "The script keeps being adjusted. I asked the foreign actors about their opinions on nearly every dialogue line."
All the film's scenes were shot in China with budgets as big as US$150 million, he added.
The film will be the first blockbuster from Zhang in years after he signed with new partner LeVision Pictures in 2013 and it will be his first English-speaking film. The film originally came from Legendary CEO Thomas Tull, who conceived the idea with "World War Z" writer Max Brooks. LeVision Pictures CEO Zhang Zhao previously said in a report the studio was collaborating with Legendary East, Legendary Pictures' Chinese venture on "The Great Wall."
The film is set for worldwide release on Nov. 23, 2016.
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