Zhang Yimou's The Great Wall (Matt Damon)

[Doctor Jones]

With Zwick attached it gives me hope.

 

[Octoberist]

At least its something original. Gotta give it to Legendary and WB.

 

[Jake Cassidy]

The prospect of having Cavill and Skarsgard in the same movie is pretty cool to me.

 

[MessiahDecoy123]

A white star will increase the global audience.

That's just the reality.

 

[Jake Cassidy]

I don't care.

 

[Poeman]

First it was Abraham lincoln vampire hunter, now this

 

[Pink Ranger]

A white star will increase the global audience.

That's just the reality.

By that logic, putting in random Asian people in a movie about white Americans will increase the global audience even more.

 

[Poeman]

A white star will increase the global audience.

That's just the reality.

This isnt Tom Cruise's Last Samurai

 

[Project862006]

^this is ed zwick lol

last samurai
blood diamond
glory

all had a white Savior to the minorities lol

 

[MessiahDecoy123]

By that logic, putting in random Asian people in a movie about white Americans will increase the global audience even more.

All nations flock to movies with popular white actors. Actors of other races rarely have the popularity to have star power globally.

Will Smith is one of the rare exceptions.

 

[Project862006]

Benjamin Walker Joins Henry Cavill In The Great Wall

"Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter" star Benjamin Walker is in talks to star opposite Henry Cavill in Ed Zwick's Legendary East pic "The Great Wall." Legendary had no comment on the casting.
Zwick is directing from a script he co-wrote with Marshall Herskovitz. Legendary Pictures chairman Thomas Tull and Max Brooks conceived the story, which explores the mystery behind the construction of The Great Wall of China.
Pic will be produced by Zwick, Herskovitz, Tull and Legendary's Jon Jashni, along with Atlas Entertainment's Alex Gartner and Charles Roven. "Great Wall" will be the first film from the Legendary East banner that was launched in June by Tull and Asian investors, with the goal of producing one or two event films a year.
Walker had been slated to star opposite Bradley Cooper in Alex Proyas' "Paradise Lost," but Legendary pulled the plug on that pic, allowing Walker to take a lead role in Stephen Frears' HBO telepic "Muhammad Ali's Greatest Fight." Thesp starred in "Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson" on Broadway before landing the title role in Timur Bekmambetov's "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter," which 20th Century Fox opens June 22.

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118055262

 

[terry78]

Four score and seven years ago, I rewrote history in two movies and made them awesome.

 

[Project862006]

Zhang Ziyi being Courted For The Great Wall and filming Postponed Until The Spring

EXCLUSIVE: While Legendary Pictures just set Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter star Benjamin Walker on Friday to join Man of Steel‘s Henry Cavill in the Ed Zwick-directed The Great Wall, a decision has just been made to push from a fall start date until next spring. Rumors have been racing this weekend that The Great Wall might be crumbling but I’m told that is not the case. In fact, casting on the film continues with Zhang Ziyi and other Chinese talent is also being courted for the film.

The issue is weather. The film will shoot in locations in China and New Zealand, and logistically it will be easier to do this in the spring than if the picture keeps its fall start date. Insiders tell me the film will happen, even though a domestic distributor hasn’t yet been secured. It is meant to be the first major film to kick off Legendary East, and with every studio looking for opportunities to make films in China, the project certainly seems viable.
Set in 15th century China, The Great Wall is about British warriors who 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 is based on an idea by Legendary CEO Thomas Tull and Max Brooks.
Now, Legendary postponed the Alex Proyas epic Paradise Lost before eventually scrapping the picture over budget, but I’m persuaded the intention is to make The Great Wall happen.

http://www.deadline.com/2012/06/the-great-wall-pushes-production-start-until-spring/

 

[Project862006]

China and British Warriors Will Battle What At ‘The Great Wall’?!

It was reported last week that Benjamin Walker (Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter), Henry Cavill (Superman: Man Of Steel) and Ziyi Zhang (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) in The Great Wall, to be directed by Ed Zwick (About Last Night, Blood Diamond). We can also add that there’s strong interest in casting “True Blood” hunk Alexander Skarsgard, although no offers have been made.

It was originally reports that the pic is set in 15th century China and about British warriors who 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.

Bloody did the usual digging and scored some more information! In some exclusive inside info we can report that the movie will follow two former English Crusaders who will help the Chinese defend the Wall and their land against the invading Genghis Kahn and the even more dangerous T’ao T’ieh monsters!
The T’ao T’ieh is the face of a mythical animal with a gaping mouth appearing as a motif in ancient Chinese art.

 

[terry78]

Well, at least they're historically accurate with the legends.

 

[Pink Ranger]

Okay, I was skeptical at first, but now I'm interested. It's very rare to see the monsters of Chinese legend on film, so I am eager to see what happens here.

 

[terry78]

Zwick won't pull a Mummy and just throw in every Chinese thing he can think of. Terracottas, dragons, yetis...****, they may as well have thrown in some sentient fortune cookie monsters while they were at it.

 

[Lencho01]

http://collider.com/ed-zwick-not-directing-the-great-wall/197617/

Ed Zwick No Longer Directing THE GREAT WALL

by Adam Chitwood Posted: September 24th, 2012 at 12:18 pm

Ed Zwick (The Last Samurai) is no longer onboard to direct the supernatural epic The Great Wall. The film was recently postponed due to lack of financing and weather issues, at which point Zwick committed to directing the Bobby Fischer biopic Pawn Sacrifice with Tobey Maguire. Now Deadline reports that Zwick is off The Great Wall altogether. The period pic, based on an idea by Legendary CEO Thomas Tull and World War Z author Max Brooks, explores “the mysteries” behind the construction of The Great Wall in China. Two 15th century British soldiers get caught up in the havoc caused by some inhuman element that the builders of the wall are trying to keep out.

Before the project was postponed, Benjamin Walker (Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter) and Henry Cavill (Man of Steel) were set as the leads, but it’s unclear if they’ll still be available when the film moves forward again. Though Zwick has dropped off, Legendary East apparently still plans on starting production next year.

 

[:eek:]

Zhang Yimou To Climb The "Great Wall"

By Garth Franklin Tuesday March 18th 2014 11:18PM
Acclaimed filmmaker Zhang Yimou ("House of Flying Daggers," "Raise the Red Lantern") is in talks to direct the supernatural meets historical epic "Great Wall" at Legendary Pictures.
The story deals with British soldiers traveling through 15th century China who witness the construction of the massive edifice that will one day be known as the Great Wall of China. They soon discover that its intended purpose is not to keep out human beings, but terrifying otherworldly creatures.
The project was conceived by Legendary CEO Thomas Tull and "World War Z" writer Max Brooks back in 2012. It got pretty far along as well - Ed Zwick was attached to direct while Henry Cavill and Benjamin Walker were to star in the film.
Scheduling and creative issues ultimately caused the project to be put on hold and re-conceived. It's now ready to go again, likely through Legendary's Asian division Legendary East. A rewrite is expected, but the basic concept remains.
How this will affect Yimou's commitment to direct an adaptation of Robert Ludlum's "The Parsifal Mosaic" at Universal is unknown.
Source: Heat Vision

 

[Rowsdower!]

Hmmm... will Cavill still be in it? I hope so.

 

[terry78]

They may replace one of the actors with a Chinese one if Zimou decides to go that route though. I know Cavill is the hotter item right now than Walker so unfortunately he would get the shaft.

 

[I SEE SPIDEY]

Cavill might not even be attached anymore.

 

[Octoberist]

Walker's stardom totally faded away didn't it? I complete forgot he existed.

 

[terry78]

He still does theatre and the occasional indie flick. He's an excellent actor but that damn Lincoln Vampire Hunter, man.

 

[:eek:]

Matt Damon May Star in Legendary Pictures' The Great Wall

Source: Deadline
September 20, 2014


Legendary Pictures CEO Thomas Tull has been trying to get a China-based epic called The Great Wall going for a number of years, to be directed by China's most respected filmmaker Zhang Yimou, but word now comes from Deadline that actor Matt Damon may be interested in starring in the primary role, following a recent rewrite by "Bourne" scripter Tony Gilroy.

Previously Ed Zwick (The Last Samurai) was attached to direct the film from a script by Carlo Bernard and Doug Miro, and he'd gone as far as to cast Henry Cavill and Benjamin Walker in key roles, but that version of the film didn't fly, so Tull and Legendary went back to the drawing board before getting Zhang Yimou.

Since a big part of the plan for the movie is to break into the lucrative Chinese film market, having director Zhang teaming with a well-known American actor is similar to when Christian Bale starred in 2012's Flowers of War, which barely made a dent in its $90 million reported budget either domestically or internationally.

The Great Wall is set to tell the story about the mystery behind China's most famous landmark and how it was built with Tull producing with Chuck Roven (The Dark Knight), Jon Jashni and Alex Gartner, and Peter Loehr and Jillian Share executive producing.

Zhang Yimou's upcoming film Coming Home, starring Gong Li, has been playing on the festival circuit with a planned release by Sony Pictures Classics in December. It is currently considered to be the frontrunner for China's submission for the Oscars Foreign Language category, which would make it the ninth of director Zhang's films to receive that honor. Two of those films made it to the Oscar short list for nominations--China's only two nominations in the category--while Zhang Yimou's Raise the Red Lantern also received an Oscar nomination but for Hong Kong.