张艺谋导演《长城》发布会

 　　Zhang Yimo's new film is a fantasy epic¹ about warriors² having once used the Great Wall as a weapon to combat otherworldly creatures who threaten humanity.

　　The film script is based on an idea by Legendary³ CEO Thomas Tull. Tull recruited Zhang Yimou to helm the 150-million US dollars project.

　　Zhang says he felt attracted to the story.

　　"I think the story is very intriguing⁴. It's hard to imagine such a story about China's Great Wall has been developed by a western filmmaker. There are many parts of this story that have interested me a lot, including the sentiments and theme of the movie, which are all very good. The part that attracts me the most is about China's traditional culture. Although it is a movie on the Great Wall fighting monsters, it carries so many elements that I hope to convey."

　　张艺谋导演《长城》发布会

　　Matt Damon, one of China's favorite Hollywood stars, is a lead actor in the film. He says before their team started shooting in China he'd never been to the Great Wall.

　　And the Great Wall referred to in his new movie might give audiences another great shock. Matt Damon explains.

　　"That experience of seeing the Great Wall is absolutely wonderful…to be able to do that with my family. But the experience of making our Great Wall has been pretty incredible and I think people are in for some fun surprises when they see what our walls are capable of."

　　In addition to Matt Damon, Hong Kong legend Andy Lau is also anchoring a cast peppered with Chinese heartthrobs, who appeal to young Chinese girls.

　　For instance, the cast features 25-year old singer Lu Han, but with the face of a teenager, who rose to fame as the lead vocalist and dancer of Chinese-South Korean boy band EXO.

　　However, compared with all these stars, the leading actress, 27-year old Jing Tian appears overshadowed.

　　Though the Chinese mainland actress has once cooperated with highly popular mainland actors like Liu Ye and Sun HongLei, and even Hong Kong action star Donnie Yen⁵, Jing Tian admits the Great Wall is a much bigger challenge when she was arranged to work with Matt Damon.

　　"It's been a pleasure to work with such great actors, especially Matt. Because for the last three months, I learned so much working with him side by side. He's a true professional and dedicated⁶ actor. For me, personally, he was always patient. I really appreciate that."

　　Since most Chinese actresses can't speak good English, language barrier might be an obstacle to hinder them from having good on-screen chemistry.

　　Jing Tian encounters the same problem.

　　"You know, since this is my first English-speaking movie, in the very beginning I was so nervous, and I had a lot of pressure, because I know being a leading actress I have so much responsibility. But luckily, the production sent me to L.A. for a special training program for six months, including like physical training, dialogue class, acting⁷ class. They've been very supportive and very helpful."

　　Since the press conference marks the completion of shooting, the movie is due for global release in November 2016.

　　For Studio Plus, I'm Xu Fei.

1 epic   

n.史诗，叙事诗；adj.史诗般的，壮丽的

参考例句：

• I gave up my epic and wrote this little tale instead.我放弃了写叙事诗，而写了这个小故事。
• They held a banquet of epic proportions.他们举行了盛大的宴会。

2 warriors   

武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• I like reading the stories ofancient warriors. 我喜欢读有关古代武士的故事。
• The warriors speared the man to death. 武士们把那个男子戳死了。

3 legendary   

adj.传奇（中）的，闻名遐迩的；n.传奇（文学）

参考例句：

• Legendary stories are passed down from parents to children.传奇故事是由父母传给孩子们的。
• Odysseus was a legendary Greek hero.奥狄修斯是传说中的希腊英雄。

4 intriguing   

adj.有趣的；迷人的v.搞阴谋诡计(intrigue的现在分词)；激起…的好奇心

参考例句：

• These discoveries raise intriguing questions. 这些发现带来了非常有趣的问题。
• It all sounds very intriguing. 这些听起来都很有趣。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 yen   

n. 日元；热望

参考例句：

• He wanted to convert his dollars into Japanese yen.他想将美元换成日币。
• He has a yen to be alone in a boat.他渴望独自呆在一条船上。

6 dedicated   

adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的

参考例句：

• He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
• His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。

7 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。