For months now, rumors have been circulating (well…mostly overseas) about the jointly produced Franco-Chinese film, “Wolf Totem.” One of the biggest rumors was that legendary Hollywood composer James Horner would lend his talents to the film. That has now been confirmed.
Based on Chinese novelist Jiang Rong’s semi-autobiographical 2004 novel, “Wolf Totem” tells the story of a young student, Chen Zhen (played by Shaofeng Feng), dispatched from Beijing to rural Mongolia with the task of educating herders. The film adaptation is directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud, the helmer behind “Seven Years in Tibet,” “Enemy At the Gates,” and about ten other films since 1976. Annaud recently had the following to say to James Horner Film Music about the project: "I feel proud, so proud for the film. I was thrilled when I finished watching it in advance. (…) It will be touching, it will be about the harmony between humans and nature, and it will be epic."
Oh yeah, animals. Did we mention that there will be wolves (hence the title)? The film investigates the relationship between people and animals, with a substantial focus on wolves.
And we finally have a trailer to show you. We hate to say it, but you unfortunately won’t get a ton out of it if you don’t speak either Mandarin or French, and given the creative team and countries behind the production, English-speaking audiences will likely have to hold out a bit longer until they can see it.
“Wolf Totem” opens in France February 18th. No U.S. release date has been set.
Update 12/19: Trailer with English subtitles added below.
