This month, the prolific Chinese actor, director and martial artist (“Wolf Warrior” films, “Shaolin”) will be seen in “The Wandering Earth II,” prequel to the 2019 futuristic blockbuster “The Wandering Earth.” Given the fate of Jing’s character in the first movie, it would have been impossible to include him in a second movie but fortunately, director Frant Gwo came up with the perfect solution.
“Wu provided us with a lot of selfless help in the first installment,” said Gwo in an interview with China.org.cn. “I wanted to show gratitude to him, but I didn’t want to write some unconvincing plot about his resurrection. So, I said, let’s do a prequel.”
In an interview with Chinese paper Global Times to promote the first film, Jing said he hoped that “The Wandering Earth” would spark children’s interest in science. Having young children of his own, it’s no surprise that Jing wanted to be part of the prequel, too.
In “The Wandering Earth II,” after learning that the sun is rapidly burning out and will obliterate Earth in the process, humans build enormous engines to propel the planet to a new solar system, far out of reach of the sun’s fiery flares. However, the journey out into the universe is perilous, and humankind’s last shot at survival will depend on a group of young people brave enough to step up and execute a dangerous, life-or-death operation to save the earth. The film, to be released by Warner Bros. Pictures exclusively in cinemas in the Philippines on May 31, also stars international star Andy Lau.
Besides the highly anticipated futuristic prequel, Jing will star in another fan-favorite follow-up, “Meg 2: The Trench,” in cinemas August 2.
Directed by Frant Gwo, with a screenplay by Frant Gwo and Gong Ge’er, “The Wandering Earth II” (a prequel to the 2019 futuristic blockbuster “The Wandering Earth”) is based on the book by Liu Cixin.
The film stars Andy Lau, Wu Jing, Li Xuejian, Sha Yi, Ning Li, Wang Zhi and Zhu Yanmanzi.
In cinemas May 31, “The Wandering Earth II” is distributed in the Philippines by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Discovery company.