The global entertainment economy continues to reorient itself around its fastest-growing market, the booming film industry of China. Studio tentpoles incorporate an Asian star or two with overseas familiarity to court foreign audiences audiences, executives sign partnership contracts with Chinese companies like they’re going out of style, and plenty of productions have shot in or around the Far East to enjoy substantial tax breaks. When greenlighting the next big blockbuster, studio heads no longer ask if it’ll play in Peoria; now, the greatest concern is whether it’ll play in Macau.

Alfonso Cuarón has taken note of the tides shifting in China’s direction, and he made that much clear with a surprising statement backstage at the inaugural China-U.S. Motion Picture Summit last night. The Hollywood Reporter quotes the Academy Award-winning director of such films as GravityChildren of Men, and Y Tu Mama Tambien as expressing a desire to shoot a film in Chinese. After stepping in as one of the event’s headline speakers, Cuarón was chatting with a THR writer when he said, “For me, the content always goes before the deals, so I don't feel much of the effect in terms of where the money comes from. But in my specific case, I'm very intrigued about China. I'm intrigued about the possibility, sometime in the future, to do a film here — but a film in Chinese. I'm fascinated by this culture.”

“What's so interesting is that it's opening up new games,” he added. “I think diversity is very good for contemporary cinema, and for the industry.”

So, an Alfonso Cuarón movie in Chinese! That could be interesting, right? It’s hard to say whether making the jump to Cantonese with a cast of Chinese actors would radically change Cuarón’s movies in any significant way, but the filmmaker’s always been inspired by visions of terrible beauty, and China sure ain’t short on that, so who knows.

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