After yesterday's news that
Robert De Niro is producing an epic romance movie set around the backdrop of Mao's Chinese regime and the rise of Communism comes another project set in the same era.
Variety report that
Bruce Beresford (
Driving Miss Daisy,
Evelyn) is looking to helm a big screen adaptation of the Chinese bestseller 'Mao's Last Dancer'.
Book is the autobiography of Li Cunxin, a Chinese peasant-turned- ballet dancer who ultimately defected. Tome was first published in 2003 and has been sold in 20 countries. Screenplay is by Jan Sardi, who previously scripted "Shine."
The movie is planned to begin shooting in February in Australia, U.K. and the majority of shooting in China. The characters in the film will all speak their native languages in the movie, so the Chinese will speak Chinese and the English will speak English. Look for this movie and De Niro's Mao film to race against each other to be the first out of the blocks.