BEIJING (AP) – The film unit of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba and the British “Harry Potter” producer David Heyman announced Sunday that they will make a fantasy movie “Warriors” based on a book series about warring cats.
The live action film with computer-generated cats is based on the British books for young adults about clans of wild cats, with themes including adventure, forbidden love and good versus evil. The series has a fan following in countries including China, and the film is intended for worldwide audiences.
Heyman, an independent film producer behind “Paddington” and “Gravity,” said he sought out Alibaba when he was in China almost two years ago on a trip to promote “Paddington,” British creativity and British-Chinese cultural exchange.
“This is becoming the largest market in the world so you are looking to understand that market,” he said at a news conference at the British Embassy in Beijing.
“It’s hard to get a film made today, I’ve had some success but every time you start a film you start a new business, so I’m always looking for people over the world.”