Zhang Ziyi Joins Edward Zwick’s The Great Wall

Having already scooped up the likes of Henry Cavill (star of upcoming Superman reboot Man of Steel) and Benjamin Walker (the honest one in Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter), the upcoming Chinese epic The Great Wall has now landed the beautiful Zhang Ziyi.

Zhang Ziyi has starred in a number of popular and acclaimed overseas imports over the past decade, including Oscar-winning Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Memoirs of a Geisha and Jet Li’s Hero. She is the first Asian cast member to join onto the film.

The Great Wall will be helmed by Edward Zwick, whose past historical epics include Glory, The Last Samurai and Defiance, though this upcoming feature will have a decidedly unique flavor.

The plot description goes as follows:

Set in 15th century China, The Great Wall is about British warriors [including, Cavill andWalker’s characters] 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 Great Wall comes in the wake of a long-line of revisionist takes on history which include the aforementioned Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, The Raven and Rob Cohen’s upcoming Sir Isaac Newton action adaptation (yup, that’s actually happening).

Legendary Pictures will produce the film through their Hong Kong-based division, Legendary East, which is the intended beginning of a number of collaborations withChina and other Hollywood studios.

Production on the film will begin in Spring of 2013.

Source: Deadline