CMC Pictures to Release Chen Sicheng’s ‘Decoded’ in U.S., U.K.

Chinese distributor CMC Pictures has taken the worldwide rights — excluding China — to local hitmaker Chen Sicheng‘s much-anticipated next feature, Decoded. The company says it will release the film theatrically in North America, the U.K., Australia, New Zealand and other major international markets later this year following its Chinese bow on July 31. CMC is offering the theatrical rights to some additional territories, such as Southeast Asia, along the sidelines of the Shanghai International Film Festival this week.

Decoded is based on the bestselling Chinese spy novel of the same name by author Mai Jia, which was translated and published in English in 2002. The film’s starry cast includes Liu Haoran, Daniel Wu, Chen Daoming and Chen Yusi, among others.

Chen Sicheng is best known for his blockbuster Detective Chinatown franchise, which has grossed over $1.2 billion at China’s box office. The director also co-wrote the screenplay for Decoded. The film is lensed by acclaimed cinematographer Cao Yu (The Eight Hundred, City of LIfe and Death). The film is set in the war-torn 1940s and follows Rong Jinzhen (Liu), an autistic math genius with a past shrouded in myth who is forced to abandon his academic pursuits to become a code-breaker for a secret spy agency. Mixing the mystery, thriller and character study, the film is said to be packed with twists and double-crosses.

Decoded is produced by CMC Pictures, Alibaba Pictures, China Film Co., Media Asia, and others.