"The Great Wall," directed by "Hero" and "House of Flying Daggers" filmmaker Zhang Yimou, will be the most expensive Chinese movie ever made. But even before hitting the theaters, the new Matt Damon movie found itself amidst a storm of controversies after the release of its trailer. People are questioning the decision to cast Damon in a movie which is essentially about Chinese culture.
The trailer which came out on July 28, however, did shed light on the vibrancy and imagination of acclaimed Chinese director's vision. It also ended the speculation pertaining to the movie that it will be a historical epic about the construction of one of the wonders of the world -- a 13,000-mile wall. It is actually a monster movie. The fantasia-soaked grandeur of the movie evident in the trailer will remind many of Yimou's most widely-seen spectacle -- his direction of the 2008 Beijing Olympics opening and closing ceremonies.
But many are not pleased with Zhang for casting "The Bourne Trilogy" star Damon as the lead actor in a movie which is based on Chinese culture and happens to be the largest film ever shot entirely in the country.
The trailer of this epic movie suggests that the wall is under attack of a mysterious Godzilla-like monster. The cast ensemble includes actors belonging to a diverse range of nationalities. Apart from Damon, the cast includes "Platoon" actor Willem Dafoe from the United States, "Game of Thrones" actor Pedro Pascal from Chile and a number of names from China, including pop star Luhan, newcomer Jing tian and "Infernal Affairs" actor Andy Lau from HongKong.
Yimou explained that the film is more of a Hollywood monster film with elements of the Chinese culture, the Entertainment Weekly reported. Yimou said that the movie is essentially an English-language film which was very clear right from the script development phase. He added that we are using Hollywood-style filmmaking to introduce the Chinese culture.
However, the ABC sitcom "Fresh off the Boat" actress Constance Wu said in her tweet that the traditional excuses used for casting "white actors" for the roles that can be filled by "minorities" are no longer valid. She claimed that the most commonly used excuse is that big-budget movies require a big-name; preferably of a white actor in order to make money.
She said we should stop perpetuating the myth that only a white man can save the world, Variety reported. She wasn't the only one against Damon's selection for the movie. Others also seem to be upset with Damon's selection as they took to Twitter in disappointment to vent their anger. But most people including Wu acknowledged the fact that the Chinese financiers of the film who must have influenced casting decisions are to be blamed, not the director or anyone else.
"The Great Wall" is expected to hit theaters sometime in February 2017.