Posted in: Movies | Tagged: dreamworks, film, jeffrey katzenberg

Dreamworks Finds A New Franchise In The Tibet Code

Published Sat, 20 Apr 2013 17:56:44 -0500

Last updated Sat, 20 Apr 2013 17:56:49 -0500

Jessy Williams writes for Bleeding Cool

Having proven a huge bestseller and garnering comparisons to both The Da Vinci Code and the Harry Potter franchise, Chinese novel series The Tibet Code is currently being set up for an adaptation by Oriental Dreamworks, the same Eastern wing of the Hollywood studio that are also handling Kung Fu Panda 3.

The original Tibet Code novel was an instant hit in China and according to The Hollywood Reporter, Dreamworks CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg was quick to notice its film potential.

Not only commercial potential, maybe, as Katzenberg and his Chinese collaborators also see that adapting the novel could be a chance to help strengthen China's portrayal in the media. The very existence of the film should tell us what side of the fence Dreamworks fall on in any China vs. Tibet debate.

The plot for the series – which so far runs to a not inconsiderable ten books and counting – does sound like it could be a lot of fun, with myths and legends and epic landscapes. It starts with the hunt for a dog and quickly develops into something more Indiana Jones-flavoured.

With the story's various grand locales, there's also the potential for a visually stunning film. A politically contentious, visually stunning, fun film.

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