China's sci-fi epic "The Wandering Earth" series made a buzz during this year's China Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festival, winning awards and announcing the third installment.

Director Frant Gwo and producer Fu Ruoqing pose for a photo holding the grand jury prize for "The Wandering Earth II" backstage at the 36th Golden Rooster Awards held in Xiamen, Fujian province, Nov. 4, 2023. [Photo/VCG]

"The Wandering Earth II," the latest movie in the franchise adapted from sci-fi writer Liu Cixin's bestselling novella, won two awards — the grand jury prize and best sound recording — at the 36th Golden Rooster Awards on Saturday in Xiamen, Fujian province. Four years ago, the first installment took home the best picture award at the 32nd Golden Rooster Awards.

Just a day earlier, the cast and crew reunited at a press conference to express their gratitude to their fans and supporters. They also announced that work has begun on "The Wandering Earth 3," which is scheduled for release during China's Spring Festival in 2027, precisely three years, three months and three days later. The news generated waves of anticipation and quickly soared to the top of the trending topics chart on social media platforms.

Director Frant Gwo also revealed to the attendees that they are planning to bring back nearly all the cast members in the third movie for a nostalgic climax. This would include characters who have already died in the first and second installments, such as those portrayed by Wu Jing, Andy Lau and Tong Liya. Gwo will co-write the script with his long-time partner Gong Ge'er and Yang Zhixue.

"I often check online posts and fan creations, and many fans offer me ideas, and help me think about how my character Liu Peiqiang should be resurrected in 'The Wandering Earth 3'," joked Wu Jing.

Cast and crew of "The Wandering Earth" trilogy pose for a photo at a press conference during the 2023 China Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festival in Xiamen, Fujian province, Nov. 3, 2023. [Photo courtesy of Daan Pictures]

According to the brief synopsis provided, "The Wandering Earth 3" will center around humanity's response to the impending destruction of the sun. In an effort to find a new home in a different solar system, colossal thrusters are constructed on the Earth's surface. These thrusters aim to move the entire planet into deep space for a journey that is fraught with crises. To save the planet, the young people of the Wandering Earth era step up for the third time, embarking on a life-and-death battle as they race against time.

The producers of the film promised to continue exploring China's film industrial production and system while adopting the latest technology. In fact, since "The Wandering Earth II" was released earlier this year, the crew has already visited several tech and film companies at home and abroad to conduct further research. At the Friday press conference, they even unveiled a new film industrial lab named "G!lab" to explore how AI can revolutionize the film industry, marking a new era of film industrialization.

"The Wandering Earth" franchise has been a resounding success. The first film earned 4.69 billion yuan in China, while the second earned 4.03 billion yuan. At the 19th Chinese American Film Festival, "The Wandering Earth II" received the best film award at the Golden Angel Awards held in Los Angeles on Nov. 1. The film was also chosen as the Chinese submission to compete in the best international feature film category at the 2024 Oscars.

A teaser poster for "The Wandering Earth 3." [Photo courtesy of Daan Pictures]

Even Liu Cixin, the author of the novella on which the films are based, is eager to see more installments. In a video he sent to the press conference, he urged the "The Wandering Earth 3" crew to start working as soon as possible, joking: "In the first one, you blew up Jupiter, in the second one, you blew up the moon. What planet are you going to blow up in the third one?"

Later, Liu also wrote a post on microblog platform Weibo praising director Gwo's innovative thinking and exploration of the story: "Making a sci-fi film that feels like a documentary of the future is no easy task. I believe director Frant Gwo and his team will undoubtedly deliver an even more exciting story for everyone."

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