CHINESE movie director Zhang Yimou has rounded out the cast of his upcoming film “The Great Wall” with several notable Chinese stars.

    Andy Lau, Jing Tian, Zhang Hanyu, Eddie Peng, Lu Han, Lin Gengxin, Zheng Kai, Chen Xuedong, Huang Xuan and Wang Junkai have all confirmed to join the film.

    The fantasy film, which is being touted as the largest film ever shot entirely in China for global distribution, centers on an elite force making a last stand for humanity on the iconic Great Wall in China. Production is set to begin in China at the end of March.

    Already in place are “Bourne Trilogy” star Matt Damon, “Platoon” actor Willem Dafoe and “Game of Thrones” Chilean notable Pedro Pascal.

    Lau is considered one of Asia’s biggest stars, appearing in more than 150 films since the mid-1980s, including “Infernal Affairs” and “House of Flying Daggers.”

    Mainland actors Zhang Hanyu and Lin recently starred in “Taking Tiger Mountain,” which earned over US$120 million at the Chinese box office this past December. Taiwanese action star Peng has recently starred in “Fleet of Time” and “Rise of the Legend.”

    Beijing actor Lu is a former member of the South Korean pop band EXO and starred in the January 2015 film “Miss Granny.” Chinese comic actor Zheng has recently starred in the Chinese films “Fleet of Time” and “The Running Man.” Chinese heartthrob Chen is the star of the film series “Tiny Times.” Huang recently starred in “The Golden Era” and “Blind Massage.” Wang, a member of the pop sensation TFBOYS, is making his film debut.

    Universal has dated the film for release in 3-D in November 2016.

    Zhang Yimou is already familiar with historical action films, having steered “Hero” and “House of Flying Daggers,” and more recently tackled the Cultural Revolution with 2014 drama “Coming Home.”

    (SD-Agencies)