People love — or are at least intrigued by — stories about national monuments and mysteries that are contained within them. So comes Zhang Yimou‘s latest feature, The Great Wall. The first trailer has arrived for the action thriller, which follows Matt Damon and mysterious circumstances around the construction of the titular wall in China. Explosions, monsters, and Damon’s infamous ponytail ensue.
Based on the story by Max Brooks and Thomas Tull, the script is co-penned by Tony Gilroy, who has a longstanding filmic collaboration with Damon. DP Stuart Dryburgh‘s (Blackhat) sharp eye is on full display, mixing grand imagery with more intimate strokes.
“The film takes place about 1,000 years ago. At its core, it is a period piece and an action film,” the director tells EW. “The fantasy element does play a major role because of the monsters. But, what makes our film unique is that these are ancient Chinese monsters. Even though it’s a fantasy movie, we filmed it in a very realistic way. We want it to feel like the events actually happened. Other than the monster, all aspects of this film are backed by either scientific or historical research.”
See the trailer and poster below for the film which also stars Willem Dafoe, Tian Jing, Eddie Peng, Andy Lau, and Pedro Pascal.
Starring global superstar Matt Damon and directed by one of the most breathtaking visual stylists of our time, Zhang Yimou (Hero, House of Flying Daggers), Legendary’s The Great Wall tells the story of an elite force making a valiant stand for humanity on the world’s most iconic structure. The first English-language production for Yimou is the largest film ever shot entirely in China. The Great Wall also stars Jing Tian, Pedro Pascal, Willem Dafoe and Andy Lau.
The Great Wall hits theaters February 17th.