He's considering Zhang Yimou's epic
Despite backing from Legendary boss Thomas Tull, as part of his attempt to launch spin-off business Legendary, China-set epic The Great Wall has proven a tricky prospect, burning through at least one director (Ed Zwick) and several potential cast members in its journey to the screen. Just as it starts to look like it’ll take as long to make as the structure it chronicles, word arrives that Matt Damon might be interested in starring, which could certainly move things along.
As of right now, it’s only something Damon is considering, but there are compelling reasons for him to take it, not least of which is the chance to work with director Zhang Yimou, who is currently developing the film. Carlos Bernard and Doug Miro wrote a draft of the script, but Bourne veteran Tony Gilroy has produced the most recent version, which could also have attracted Damon’s interested.
The planned epic tale is still being kept largely under wraps, though it’s expected that it’ll tell the story of how the various chunks of the wall came to be across several generations in northern China. Originally constructed to protect the northern borders of the Chinese Empire in the 5th century BC, it has since been modified, demolished and rebuilt several times between the earliest structure and the 16th century. There’s a lot of history to pack in, so we expect the pic will focus on one or two specific periods.
Damon’s plate is busy at the moment – he’ll next star for Ridley Scott in The Martian and has a lot of other options jostling for his attention, not the least of which are a potential Bourne reunion and his aim to direct a film. Damon is part of the cast for Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar, which launches here on November 7 and is covered in the next issue of Empire .
from Empire News
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