While fans in the U.S. still have a few more months before Universal’sThe Great Wallhits theaters, Chinese audiences will be the first to see thisepic adventurewhen it hits theaters in the Middle Kingdom on December 16. To get Chinese fans ready forThe Great Wall, an action-packed 9-minute trailer has debuted, featuring plenty of new footage, introducing several of the main characters, includingMatt Damon’s William Garin. While you’ll need to be fluent in Chinese to understand the narration and to read the title cards, there is still plenty of action-packed new footage that we haven’t seen before.
This trailer debuted onYouTube, and it seems to be a number of smaller trailers focusing on each character, cut together into one huge nine-minute trailer. Regardless, there is no shortage of new footage from these epic battle scenes, with thousands of soldiers battling immenseChinese monsters. While the trailer kicks off with footage centering onMatt Damon’s character, the rest of this epic video focuses on the rest of this diverse international cast. This trailer comes as the movie is embroiled in controversy over the casting ofMatt Damon.
Shortly after the first trailer debuted this summer,Fresh Off the BoatstarConstance Wuwas one of many who criticized the movie for “whitewashing,” in regards to the casting ofMatt Damon. She blasted the choice to cast this A-list star, stating that, “Our heroes don’t look likeMatt Damon”.The Great Wallis not alone in this “whitewashing” controversy, with Marvel’sDoctor Strangecoming under fire for castingTilda Swintonas The Ancient One, a role typically portrayed as an Asian male in the comic books. The controversy didn’t hurtDoctor Strangeat the box office, since it recently passed $600 million worldwide, but it remains to be seen ifThe Great Wallwill be similarly unaffected.
Matt Damonhimself responded to the casting controversy last month, stating it was a “f—ing bummer” and that he was quite surprised to “have those charges levied” against him, especially since it was based on a brief teaser trailer, and not the full movie. The actor went on to state that he doesn’t think people will honestly think the movie was “whitewashed” after they see the entire movie, but he doesn’t think people should be attacking the movie without seeing it first. We’ll have to wait and see if the whitewashing controversy will still be talked about afterThe Great Wallhits theaters.
Starring global superstarMatt Damonand directed by one of the most breathtaking visual stylists of our time,Zhang Yimou(Hero,House of Flying Daggers), Legendary’sThe Great Walltells the story of an elite force making a valiant stand for humanity on the world’s most iconic structure. The first English-language production forYimouis the largest film ever shot entirely in China.The Great Wallalso starsJing Tian,Pedro Pascal,Willem DafoeandAndy Lau. Take a look at this epic 9-minute trailer forThe Great Wallbelow.
