DETAILS are trickling out about the sequel to China’s science-fiction blockbuster, director Guo Fan’s “The Wandering Earth.”

Registration records revealed this week that “The Wandering Earth 2” has been approved for production. It plans to shoot in Qingdao and Haikou from October 2021 to March 2022.

Although the rest of the cast remains a mystery, “Wandering Earth” star and financier Wu Jing is confirmed to appear again alongside an unexpected newcomer: Hong Kong star Andy Lau. Given that Wu’s character died in the first movie, however, fans are speculating about his potential role, with some wondering whether the sequel may in fact be a prequel.

The film bureau record offers a brief plot summary for “Wandering Earth 2” that sounds like it could easily describe the first film as well, unveiling few new details. It reads: “The sun is about to be destroyed, and humans have built huge engines on Earth’s surfaces to help them find a new home. However, the road out into the universe is perilous. In order to save Earth, a group of young people of the wandering Earth era again stepped forward to begin a battle against life and death.”

Guo will return to direct from a script he co-wrote with Gong Geer, a producer on the first film. That title was a loose adaptation of a novella of the same name by Chinese science-fiction writer Liu Cixin, whose trilogy “The Three-Body Problem” is now being adapted in the United States for Netflix.

Guo first publicly announced that he was planning this sequel in the fall of 2019. “The Wandering Earth 2” is currently targeting a Chinese New Year’s release Jan. 22, 2023, allowing it to debut at the crest of China’s biggest box-office week of the year.

The film should have strong prospects, since the original was itself an unexpected 2019 New Year’s hit that went on to earn US$691 million. It remains China’s fourth-highest grossing film of all time.(SD-Agencies)