Liu Cixin‘s bestselling sci-fi guide The Three-Physique Downside is heading house to China to get one other display adaptation. Zhang Yimou, arguably China’s most revered residing filmmaker, is about to direct a Chinese language-language function movie based mostly on the novel, it was revealed Sunday throughout a discussion board on the Shanghai Worldwide Movie pageant.
In Shanghai, Wang Changtian, chairman of main native studio Beijing Enlight Media, mentioned his firm was within the early phases of growing the challenge, Chinese language state information company Xinhua reported. Three-Physique Universe Cultural Growth Co., Ltd, the copyright holder for the guide and associated media, additionally confirmed the challenge was within the works.
Information of Zhang’s involvement in a Chinese language tackle the beloved sci-fi saga lit up Chinese language social media on Monday. The Three-Physique Downside, the primary guide in Cixin’s Remembrance of Earth’s Previous trilogy, has spawned a number of diversifications throughout completely different media since its launch in 2014 — with decidedly blended success. A previous Chinese language-language adaptation of the guide directed by Fanfan Zhang was by no means accomplished, however a Chinese language TV adaptation by Tencent, titled Three-Physique, did make it to the display in 2023, and streamed on Peacock earlier this yr.
Within the West, the best-known adaptation, after all, is Netflix’s big-budget take, restyled as 3 Physique Downside, and helmed by Alexander Woo and Sport of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss. The U.S. model has been thought of a world hit, with Netflix renewing it for a second and third season that can full the showrunners’ imaginative and prescient of the trilogy’s full story. However in China, the Netflix model has been decidedly blended, with criticisms starting from the present’s various, principally non-Chinese language key forged — a Chinese language state media editorial attacked the variation as “American cultural hegemony” created underneath the guise of variety — to among the liberties that have been taken with Liu Cixin’s beloved story. However many in China — the place Netflix is blocked and piracy is the one strategy to entry the sequence — additionally undeniably favored the present, as loads of social media chatter praised its scale and faithfulness to the spirit of the novels (a social media put up from the state-run International Instances information outlet later accused international press of exaggerating the unfavorable reactions to the present to be able to fire up political tensions and painting Chinese language viewers as unreasonably nationalistic).
Amid this difficult milieu across the novel’s diversifications, no determine can be thought of a safer pair of arms for Chinese language followers than Zhang. A key determine of China’s Fifth Era of filmmakers, Zhang is beloved by movie buffs at house and overseas for his movies Elevate the Purple Lantern, Purple Sorghum, To Dwell, Hero and Home of the Flying Daggers. He additionally directed the memorably gorgeous opening and shutting ceremonies of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Lately, nevertheless, his output has been directed squarely — and efficiently — on the home Chinese language moviegoer. In simply the previous yr and half, the 72-year-old director has launched three movies — little seen exterior China — which have collectively earned $1.15 billion in his nation. His latest interval comedy thriller, Full River Purple, produced by Huanxi Media, was China’s top-grossing film of 2023 with a staggering box-office haul of $634.6 million. He adopted that up with the Beijing Enlight Footage’ crime drama Underneath the Mild, additionally launched in 2023, which earned $190 million. And he was again once more close to the beginning of 2024 with the Chinese language Lunar New 12 months launch of comedy-drama Article 20, produced once more by Enlight and incomes $323.6 million.