EXCLUSIVE: Shanghai and Los Angeles-based Fundamental Films has announced that Xin Zhilei, Best Actress award winner at the 2025 Venice Film Festival, will play Hollywood’s first Chinese star, Anna May Wong, in an upcoming biopic. 

Mark Gao’s Fundamental Films is financing and producing the film, Sunset Boulevard – The Anna May Wong Story, about the extraordinary life of the groundbreaking actress who battled against stereotypical attitudes towards Asian women in Hollywood throughout the 1920s and 1930s. 

Currently in pre-production, the English and Mandarin-language production follows Wong’s life from her humble beginnings as a third-generation Chinese American born in Los Angeles during the early days of Hollywood, through a career that mesmerized audiences worldwide. Her work included roles in inconic films such as The Thief Of Bagdad, opposite Douglas Fairbanks, and Shanghai Express, opposite Marlene Dietrich.

Xin won Best Actress at last year’s Venice film festival for her role in Cai Shangjun’s The Sun Rises On Us All, the first Chinese woman to receive the honour in 14 years. Her credits also include Yang Chao’s Crosscurrent (2016), which premiered in competition at Berlin film festival; Midi Z’s The Unseen Sister (2025), selected for Tokyo film festival competition, and Wong Kar Wai’s recent series Blossoms Shanghai. 

In addition to her film roles, Xin previously starred in the Chinese version of the one-woman play, Prima Facie, in the role originated by Jodie Comer in London. 

Sunset Boulevard – The Anna May Wong Story, scripted by Brant Boivin (Tow) and Jonathan Keasey (Tow, Parallel), will recreate the lavish sets of the Golden Age of Hollywood in productions like The Thief Of Bagdad and Shanghai Express.  

Fundamental Films – which has a long track record in global development, international co-productions and distribution – is attending Cannes to introduce the project to buyers. The company has co-produced films including Lucy, The Transporter Refueled, Valerian And The City Of A Thousand Planets, 24 Hours To Live and Replicas. 

Fundamental Films’ founders noted that Xin’s career has mirrored Wong’s in many ways. Both actresses were born into modest circumstances, and defied expectations by working their way up through small films to eventually gaining international attention. Both actesses have also worked across film, television and theatre. 

Xin Zhilei said: “Anna May Wong’s story deeply moves me. She remained true to her cultural roots and was determined to follow her own path, while also speaking up for other women. In the face of difficulties and doubt, she never stepped back. This film is a tribute to Anna May Wong’s courage and resilience, and I hope it will allow more people to remember this talented, intelligent, and ambitious legendary woman.”

Fundamental Films’ Founder and Chairman Mark Gao added: “Xin Zhilei’s remarkable career very much echoes Anna May Wong’s own ascent and groundbreaking achievements, which makes her perfect for this role. The project also encapsulates Fundamental Films’ own mandate of championing Chinese stories and culture and using our creative resources and experience to appeal to audiences both at home and globally. 

“We hope this film will bring Anna May Wong’s story back from the edges of history and remind the world that Chinese artists were never absent from Hollywood history and continue to be part of its future.”