We want it to feel like the events actually happened. Even though it’s a fantasy movie, we filmed it in a very realistic way. But, what makes our film unique is that these are ancient Chinese monsters. The fantasy element does play a major role because of the monsters. At its core, it is a period piece and an action film. “The film takes place about 1,000 years ago. The first images from The Great Wall have arrived (as has the trailer- watch here) as Yimou recently told EW a bit about what audiences can expect from this monster movie: And after casting Matt Damon in the lead role, the film subsequently grew into the most expensive film to ever be shot entirely in China with a budget of $135 million. That’s where Zhang Yimou came in, the filmmaker behind Hero and House of Flying Daggers and the director who crafted the stunning 2008 Beijing Olympic Ceremonies.

However, due to financing and weather issues, Zwick subsequently left the project and Legendary started again from scratch. The Last Samurai filmmaker Edward Zwick was the first director on the project, and he swiftly cast Henry Cavill and Benjamin Walker as his two leads. The film originated from an idea by Legendary Pictures CEO Thomas Tull and World War Z author Max Brooks that tells the real story behind why the Great Wall was constructed: to keep something supernatural out. After a long and amorphous development process, our first look at The Great Wall has finally arrived.

The great wall movie images