‘s bestselling sci-fi book is set for another screen adaptation, with the legendary set to direct a Chinese-language film based on the novel. News of the feature adaptation, and Zhang’s involvement, was revealed Sunday during a forum at the Shanghai Film Festival, the news agency Xinhua reported. At SIFF, Wang Changtian, chairman of Beijing Enlight Media, said his company was in the early stages of developing the project.
Three-Body Universe Cultural Development Co., Ltd, the copyright holder for the book and related media, also confirmed the project was in the works. Zhang is widely considered China’s greatest living filmmaker.
A key figure in China’s Fifth Generation of filmmakers, he is best known for his films , , , , and he also directed the memorable opening and closing ceremonies of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. In just the past year and half, the 72-year-old Zhang has released three films that have collectively earned $1.15 billion in China alone.
His recent period comedy thriller, , produced by Huanxi Media, was China’s top-grossing movie of 2023 with a staggering box-office haul of $634.6 million. He followed that up with the Beijing Enlight Pictures’ crime drama , also released in 2023, which earned $190 million.
And he was back again near the start of 2024 with the Chinese Lunar New Year release of comedy-drama , produced again by Enlight and earning $323.6 million. , the first book in Cixin’s trilogy, has spawned several adaptations across diff.