Zhang Yimou's The Great Wall (Matt Damon)

[Project862006]

The Last Samurai director is set to helm the inaugural film for Legendary East, The Great Wall. Zwick and his longtime writing partner Marshall Herskovitz will pen the screenplay for the flick that “reveals the legend behind a great mystery of our age: why this magnificent structure came to be.” The script will be based on a story by Legendary Entertainment Chairman and CEO Thomas Tull and World War Z author Max Brooks. Tull is also producing alongside Jon Jashni, Alex Gartner, Charles Roven (The Dark Knight Rises) as well as Zwick and Herskovitz.

Press Release:

THE GREAT WALL

• Edward Zwick will direct, and Zwick and his longtime writing and producing partner Marshall Herskovitz will write the screenplay for, Legendary East’s inaugural feature film THE GREAT WALL.

• The project marks the first film to launch under Legendary East Ltd., a standalone entertainment company dedicated to creating feature film and related content for a worldwide audience. Based in Hong Kong, with Chinese management, strong international investors and Legendary Entertainment’s successful experience producing and financing films, Legendary East is uniquely positioned to produce content that is as commercially viable within China as it is throughout the rest of the world.

• Zwick and Herskovitz will write the screenplay based on a story by Legendary Entertainment’s Chairman and CEO, Thomas Tull and Max Brooks (WORLD WAR Z).

• THE GREAT WALL will be produced by Legendary’s Thomas Tull and Jon Jashni, Charles Roven and Alex Gartner of Atlas Entertainment, as well as Zwick and Herskovitz.

• Zwick and Herskovitz stated: “Legendary East has given us the chance to do what we most love — to create an adventure on a grand scale.”

• “Our partnership with Ed and Marshall is indicative of the creative ambition and financial commitment we are bringing to Legendary East — not next year or next month, but today,” said Jon Jashni, Legendary Entertainment’s Chief Creative Officer, who also serves as an advisor to the Legendary East team. “Their ability to translate a sense of history while communicating emotion and wonder has been proven repeatedly. THE GREAT WALL exemplifies the type of globally-appealing, commercial movie we intend to have Legendary East become known for.”

• Charles Roven stated: “We always enjoy working with our friends at Legendary. We share a great past, an amazing present and an anticipated future. Alex and I are also looking forward to working with Marshall and Ed whose work we have admired.”

• THE GREAT WALL reveals the legend behind a great mystery of our age: why this magnificent structure came to be.

• The project will be distributed in China by Legendary East’s co-production partner, Huayi Brothers, while distribution in all other parts of the globe is anticipated to be handled by Warner Bros. Pictures, with whom Legendary Entertainment has a long-standing relationship.

• Zwick directed, and Herskovitz and Zwick wrote and produced, THE LAST SAMURAI, a blockbuster hit that was nominated for four Academy Awards® and grossed $435 million worldwide. Zwick also directed LOVE AND OTHER DRUGS as well as BLOOD DIAMOND, which was nominated for five Oscars®, and DEFIANCE starring Daniel Craig. Zwick and Herskovitz were nominated for an Oscar for producing the smash hit TRAFFIC.

• Charles Roven is currently in production on THE DARK KNIGHT RISES and MAN OF STEEL, both Legendary projects with Warner Bros. Roven and Alex Gartner also previously produced the comedy blockbuster GET SMART.

 

[Fanticon]

Zwick is one of the masters of the historical period piece genre. I like it.

 

[terry78]

I am very interested to see this. It's one of those great wonders of the world, and to see it actually constructed through today's technology should be decent.

 

[Project862006]

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[Project862006]

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http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118049968.html?cmpid=RSS|News|LatestNews

 

[Project862006]

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http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118049968

 

[Project862006]

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[Project862006]

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http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118049968

 

[Project862006]

Henry Cavill To Star

With production on "Man of Steel" wrapping up, Henry Cavill is eyeing his first post-Superman pic. Thesp is in negotiations to star in Legendary East's "The Great Wall." Pic will be helmed by Edward Zwick, from a script by Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz.
Story looks at the mystery behind how China's Great Wall was constructed from a story conceived by Legendary Pictures chairman Thomas Tull and Max Brooks. Legendary had no comment on the casting.
Pic will be produced by Zwick, Herskovitz, Tull and Legendary's Jon Jashni along with Atlas Entertainment's Alex Gartner and Chuck Roven.
The pic is the first to come from the banner launched in June by Tull and Asian investors, with the goal of producing one or two event films a year.
"Great Wall" is a co-production of Legendary East and Huayi Brothers, which will distribute the pic in China. A domestic distrib has not been set.
Cavill was best been known for his role on Showtime's "The Tudors" before landing the coveted "Man of Steel" lead.
Besides "Man of Steel," Cavill also has heat from his starring role in Relativity's "Immortals" which has grossed more than $200 million worldwide.

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118049968

 

[terry78]

Uhhhh.....wut?

Chinese people are gonna be pissed. Just like Japanese people were with Last Samurai.

 

[TheVileOne]

Yeah they were so pissed about that movie they gave it $120 million worth of box office.

To the Japanese, Tom Cruise > White Supremacy over Japanese Racism.

 

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

Look forward to this, love Zwicks films they are always great.

 

[I SEE SPIDEY]

Is Zwick ever going to make a movie about non white culture that doesn't star a white guy?

In Hollywood nothing ever existed until white people came along.

 

[Raiden]

From my understanding about the history of Great Walls, there were no Europeans involved in its construction so I'm not sure how Henry Cavill would be cast for this movie. At least in The Last Samurai, Japan had foreigners in their country by then so it wasn't a giant leap of logic, although having a Caucasian with a social status as esteemed as the samurai sounded rather unbelievable as well.

 

[Matt Mortem]

Zwick is one of my favorite directors and The Last Samurai is among my favorite films of all time. I'm really looking forward to this. I know he'll do a great job!

 

[TheVileOne]

Is he going to steal this script too like the Last Samurai? I kid, I kid.

Or do I?

http://www.deadline.com/2012/02/exc...e-for-idea-theft-claim-over-the-last-samurai/

Lot of shady people working in Hollywood.

 

[Matt Mortem]

Is he going to steal this script too like the Last Samurai? I kid, I kid.

Or do I?

http://www.deadline.com/2012/02/exc...e-for-idea-theft-claim-over-the-last-samurai/

Lot of shady people working in Hollywood.

Did not know that. And somehow I don't care. I still really love The Last Samurai. Oh well.

 

[TheVileOne]

I mean I like the movie, but I mean . . . I think it was justified Cruise didn't get his Oscar nomination for it. Last Samurai being a white guy is pretty racist.

 

[Matt Mortem]

I mean I like the movie, but I mean . . . I think it was justified Cruise didn't get his Oscar nomination for it. Last Samurai being a white guy is pretty racist.

I always interpreted it as Ken Watanabe's character is the titular 'Last Samurai', but I could be way off base there.

 

[Project862006]

I always interpreted it as Ken Watanabe's character is the titular 'Last Samurai', but I could be way off base there.

he is imo

vileone does'nt know what he is talking about

cruise was'nt the last samurai lol

 

[TheVileOne]

Well I mean yeah he basically was. He turned into a samurai and he was the only survivor .

 

[Project862006]

Alexander Skarsgard and Benjamin Walker Up for Co-Lead Opposite Henry Cavill in THE GREAT WALL

The co-lead of the Ed Zwick-directed The Great Wall is between True Blood‘s Alexander Skarsgard and Benjamin Walker, who stars in the upcoming Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. The Legendary Pictures film already has Man of Steel’s Henry Cavill set to star in an adventure film about British warriors traveling through 15th Century China and happen upon the hurried construction of the massive wall. As night falls, the warriors realize that the haste in building the wall isn’t just to keep out the Mongols. There is something inhuman and more dangerous. The picture, based on an idea by Legendary CEO Thomas Tull and Max Brooks, is being made through the Hong Kong-based Legendary East.

http://www.deadline.com/2012/06/will-alexander-skarsgard-or-benjamin-walker-scale-the-great-wall/

 

[DarkSovereignty]

so it's not a straight up historical drama, sounds like there's gonna be some fantasy elements. that should be refreshing I guess.

 

[terry78]

Ahhhh, so it's one of those types of movies.

 

[flickchick85]

Yeah...one of those.