The film will shoot for three months in China starting next month. Besson is also the president of the festival's competition jury.Īccording to a synopsis posted on the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television (SAPPRFT) 國家新聞出版廣電總局 website last year, the film is about a young gamer who travels to ancient China via a magical chest. The three actors and their director walked the red carpet at the opening ceremony of the Beijing festival on Thursday night (pictured).

The latter also distributes EuropaCorp's films in China. The project is one of three planned co-productions between EuropaCorp and Fundamental. Besson will serve as producer and co-writer, while Matthias HOENE will direct. Some movies, such as last year’s biggest-selling overseas title, Iron Man 3, lobbied hard for co-production status but did not get it, and the issue often has proven divisive as both Hollywood and China try to cooperate more.įundamental Films and EuropaCorp have a multiyear output deal that stipulates Fundamental will release at least 15 EuropaCorp films in China and that Fundamental will co-produce at least three of those.Īt the Berlin Film Festival last month, EuropaCorp said it was going ahead with a reboot of its hit Transporter franchise, greenlighting the first - Transporter 4 - and laying plans for two follow-ups, all co-produced with Fundamental Films.įundamental’s slate also includes the animation The Prince and the 108 Demons, Replicas with Company Films and Black Frog with Same Player.Īt a press conference held during the Beijing International Film Festival 北京國際電影節, Luc BESSON announced that his French-China co-production Warrior's Gate 勇士之門 is set to begin shooting in May.Ĭo-produced by Besson's EuropaCorp and China's Fundamental Films Co Ltd 上海基美影畫文化傳播有限公司, the RMB300 million (US$48.4 million) project is set to star Mark CHAO 趙又廷, NI Ni 倪妮 and Uriah Shelton. They stand a much stronger chance of getting a mainland Chinese release, have immunity from blackout periods and a greater revenue share. Overseas filmmakers want China co-production status because films granted the status are treated as domestic films and do not fall under China’s import quota, and usually involve local investment in exchange for local distribution rights. EuropaCorp couldn't immediately be reached for comment. Little is known so far about the Warrior's Gate project.

The news was announced on the site this week. The application appeared on the State Administration of Radio Film and TV (SARFT) website in a list of projects that filed during February for co-production status. Luc Besson’s EuropaCorp has applied for co-production status for Warrior’s Gate, on which it is collaborating with Mark Gao Jingdong’s Shanghai-based production and sales outfit Fundamental Films. Luc Besson Looks to Co-Produce 'Warrior’s Gate' With China

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