Sequel to Chinese blockbuster 'Changjin' in the works

BEIJING -- Patriotic Chinese blockbuster The Battle at Lake Changjin is set to have a sequel literally known as Water Gate Bridge, with the return of stars Wu Jing, Jackson Yee, and other principal members of the original cast.

The news, broken Thursday evening by the movie's social media account, soon made headlines, generating more than 250,000 retweets in four hours of the Weibo post's release.

The new film, also co-produced by Bona Film Group and August First Film Studio, has the same directors as the original one -- Chen Kaige, Hark Tsui, and Dante Lam. Its release date is yet to be announced.

The sequel continues the story of Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) soldiers fighting bravely in freezing temperatures in a key campaign at Lake Changjin, or Chosin Reservoir, during the War to Resist US.Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-53).

It follows the CPV soldiers of the same company taking on a new task, and this time their battlefield is a crucial bridge on the retreat route of American troops.

The Battle at Lake Changjin hitting Chinese theaters on Sept 30, has moved many moviegoers to tears.

It tells of how the young CPV warriors were willing to risk it all to defend their motherland from the world's best-equipped army, despite their lack of food and warm clothing and amid the bitter cold.

Raking in a whopping total of over 5.37 billion yuan (about $839.63 million) in 29 days, the war epic is this year's second-biggest earner so far, both in China and globally. It only trails domestic comedy Hi, Mom, which has raked in 5.41 billion yuan, according to data by e-ticketing platform Maoyan.

It is currently the third-highest-grossing title of all time at China's box office. Maoyan predicts the film will complete its run with 5.5 billion yuan.