Film based on Chinese princess's epic trek planned

Nearly 1,400 years ago, Chinese princess Wen Cheng trekked almost 3,000 kilometers to marry the Tibetan king Songtsen Gampo.

Recently during an event at the eighth Beijing International Film Festival, Usunhome Pictures and Youth Film Studio announced that they will invest up to 200 million yuan ($31.8 million) to shoot a film to recreate the epic romance.

Titled as Mission Unpredictable, the movie looks at the story through the eyes of a low-ranked warrior, who was among the hundreds of escorts accompanying the princess.

Award-winning director Jin Tiemu, known for a string of documentaries like The Old Summer Palace (2006), will direct the film, which will open across China in 2020.

Besides, Chengdu-based Usunhome Pictures also unveiled plans for two other productions, the franchise The Realm and the variety show The Tibet Code, adapted from Chinese author He Ma’s namesake best-selling novel.

Based on Tibet’s traditional “sky burials”, a funeral ceremony where a human corpse is placed on mountain to be eaten by animals, The Realm will be about an explorer’s adventures.

Besides the film, The Realm is also expected to be turned into a franchise, including a TV series, video games and merchandise.