Opening this weekend in China is director Zhang Yimou's THE GREAT WALL, the "Matt Damon vs. monsters" movie that those of us in the United States will have to wait until February 17, 2017 to check out. Scripted by Carlo Bernard, Doug Miro, and Tony Gilroy from an idea crafted by Legendary Pictures CEO Thomas Tull and WORLD WAR Z author Max Brooks, THE GREAT WALL stars Damon as
a soldier who is part of a group of mercenaries traveling to China in order to bring back gunpowder to Europe. When the group is attacked by mystical beasts, the man finds himself in a war between a secret warrior clan and the beasts.
Also in the cast are Willem Dafoe, Pedro Pascal, Andy Lau, Luhan, and Jing Tian.
It looks like THE GREAT WALL is going to be a fun time – but the movie isn't the whole story. There's more to China's battle with these mystical beasts than Zhang Yimou will be showing us, and to delve further into the mythology created here writer Arvid Nelson and artist Gian Fernando have put together (with Whilce Portacio providing the cover) a 128 page graphic novel prequel titled The Great Wall: Last Survivor.
The prequel's synopsis:
What if an army was created to defend our world from an enemy so dangerous, its very existence must be kept a secret? Built to keep out the ferocious Tao Tei, The Great Wall is the most powerful defensive structure ever built; but it is the heroes within that make the wall great: The Nameless Order. Set sixty years prior to the film, in the mysterious lands of ancient China, tragedy forces young Bao into joining The Nameless Order and upholding the corps’ four principles: Discipline, Loyalty, Secrecy, and Sacrifice. Challenged by rivals, haunted by his past, and tested by desires, Bao spends his life preparing for one singular moment: when he will have to defend the world from ferocious monsters that have come to devour us all.
The Great Wall: Last Survivor will be released on January 24, 2017, and will be available in both hardcover and Ebook editions. If THE GREAT WALL is as cool as it appears to be, it might be interesting to spend more time in its world through this graphic novel.