Simon West to helm Chinese tomb-raid film 'Legend Hunters'

British director Simon West who helmed 'Lara Croft

Based on the popular fantasy novel series, 'Ghost Blows Out the Light', 'The Legend Hunters' is the next installment of 'Mojin' universe, reported Variety.

Backed by Wanda Pictures and Beijing-based Saints Entertainment, it is scheduled to release in July next year. The film is halfway through shooting and is expected to wrap in Russia in mid-August.

The film features Zhang Hanyu, Jiang Wu and Hong Kong actress Celina Jade in the pivotal roles.

The most successful direct adaptations, 'Mojin: The Lost Legend,' minted USD 241 million in 2015, but others flopped, including last year's 'Mojin: The Worm Valley,' which managed just USD 21 million.

"To be honest, at first we weren't really eager to take the project on. If you're just shooting the same books again, they've already been shot to death. No one wants to see that anymore," said Saints CEO Su Xiaochen.

"But then we found a good point of entry: This story is outside of the books. It's a film about what happens to the same characters once they're older. It's a bit like 'Logan,' Xiaochen added.