Legendary East announces first project

ZwickTullHerskovitz Thomas Tull's Legendary East has set "The Great Wall" as its first project to bow through the China-based banner, with Edward Zwick at the helm and Marshall Herskovitz co-writing the project with the director.Drama is based on a story conceived by Tull and Max Brooks ("World War Z") that revolves around the legend behind the construction of the massive structure which began construction around the fifth century B.C.Legendary's Tull and Jon Jashni will produce with Charles Roven and Alex Gartner of Atlas Entertainment, as well as Zwick and Herskovitz.Move comes after Legendary East secured a $220.5 million round of funding over the weekend from Hong Kong's Paul Y. Engineering Group, in exchange for a 50% stake in the entertainment venture.In June, Tull paired up with Chinese-born Hong Kong media and finance entrepreneur Kelvin Wu to launch Legendary East. Goal is to produce one or two English-lingo pics a year that tap into Chinese culture. First films will bow in 2013.Jashni, Legendary Entertainment's chief creative officer, serves as an advisor to the Legendary East team.Producing "The Great Wall" will enable Tull to bypass Chinese government restrictions that put a 20-pic limit on foreign films that can play in the country's theaters, and enable Legendary to benefit from the growing box office in the region."The Great Wall" will be distributed in China by Legendary East's co-production partner, Huayi Brothers, while Warner Bros. will release elsewhere."Legendary East has given us the chance to do what we most love -- to create an adventure on a grand scale," said Zwick and Herskovitz in a statement.Zwick and Herskovitz also previously collaborated on "The Last Samurai" and co-produced "Traffic." Zwick most recently helmed "Love and Other Drugs," "Blood Diamond" and "Defiance.""Their ability to translate a sense of history while communicating emotion and wonder has been proven repeatedly," Jashni said. " 'The Great Wall' exemplifies the type of globally appealing, commercial movie we intend to have Legendary East become known for."Roven is currently producing "The Dark Knight Rises" and "Man of Steel," both Legendary co-productions with Warner Bros. Roven and Gartner also produced the WB comedy "Get Smart." Contact Marc Graser at marc.graser@variety.com