After spending time stranded on Mars in The Martian, Matt Damon heads a few centuries back in time to China, headlining epic adventure The Great Wall as mercenary warrior William Garin, who comes to lead humanity’s greatest fight for survival. When Garin is imprisoned within the Great Wall, he discovers the mystery behind one of the greatest wonders of the world.
As wave after wave of marauding beasts, intent on devouring the world, besiege the massive structure, Garin’s quest for fortune turns into a journey toward heroism as he joins a huge army of elite warriors to confront this unimaginable and seemingly unstoppable force.
This action-fantasy is directed by Zhang Yimou, and The Great Wall not only marks his first English-language production, but is also the largest film ever shot entirely in China.
The screenplay by Carlo Bernard, Doug Miro and Tony Gilroy is based on a story by Max Brooks, Edward Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz. It is set in an alternate vision of ancient China (circa AD1100). The story imagines that the Great Wall was built to defend against a mythical Chinese creature called the ‘Tao Tei’, a malignant species and gargoyle-like figure from Chinese mythology that rises every 60 years from the heart of the Jade Mountain to attack in vast, swarming armies and feed on humankind.
“We wanted to make a movie that was truly an east-west collaboration,” says Legendary Pictures CEO Thomas Tull. “A movie that was not just a local story, but one with global appeal as well. We found the perfect director in Zhang Yimou, one of the best in the world.”
Indeed, Zhang is one of the most celebrated filmmakers. Among his many accolades he directed the first Chinese film to earn a Best Foreign Language Film Oscar nomination in 1990 with Ju Dou. He went on to earn two more nominations for Raise the Red Lantern (1991) and Hero (2002).
Promises breathtaking action, textured characterisation, emotions and epic spectacle
“The Great Wall is in the lyrics of our national anthem, so it symbolises the same thing in the heart of all Chinese, which is our people, our country and our history,” explains Zhang. “We use it to express many things spiritual. To all of us in China, the Great Wall is a symbol of China’s national spirit. It resonates in every Chinese person, as a symbol of our traditions and our flesh-and-blood.”
The filmmaker adds that these elements are also reflected in the movie. “I thought the screenplay was a special story, especially when you look at the wall from a different angle. It was built to protect our homeland from invaders. From this perspective, it makes little difference whether the enemy is people or monsters.”
Undoubtedly, the fact that the movie was shot entirely on location in China was a great source of pride for the director, as was the fact that the script featured an important cultural and mythical figure in Chinese lore. “What mattered most was the script,” he says.
It was important to pair the legendary figure from Asian cinema with an equally illustrious star, and when it came to the character of the mercenary Westerner who stumbles upon this epic battle, the filmmakers had one name in mind – Matt Damon. Having Zhang in the director’s chair was an immediate draw for the actor.
“Zhang Yimou is one of the greatest filmmakers on the planet,” raves Damon. “He paints on this spectacularly large canvas, and does it in a way like nobody else. The way he uses colours, the sweeping scale of what he does. You can look at a Zhang Yimou movie without putting his name on it, and would immediately know that it’s one of his.
“I’ve wanted to work with him for a long time and I finally got that chance. What a real privilege for me, for all the actors, both Chinese and Western, and the crew members as well. Everyone is here because of Zhang Yimou. We’ve all seen his work, and we all felt lucky to be part of one of his visions.”
It is a vision that promises breathtaking action, textured characterisation, emotions and epic spectacle, the director bringing together an international ensemble to support Damon, with some of China, Taiwan and Hong Kong cinema’s biggest names, including Jing Tian, Hanyu Zhang, Eddie Peng Yu-Yen, Lu Han, Kenny Lin, Junkai Wang, Zheng Kai, Cheney Chen, Xuan Huang and Andy Lau, along the likes of Willem Dafoe and Chilean Pedro Pascal on board for the ride.