The assistant, Pang Liwei, declined to reveal the plot, telling The Associated Press in a phone interview only that the film will incorporate "comedic elements." Pang said she didn't know the budget of the movie.

Zhang, whose credits include "To Live," hasn't made a movie since the 2006 historical epic "Curse of the Golden Flower."

Zhang wowed audiences with a stunning Olympics opening ceremony that saw retired Chinese gymnast Li Ning soaring through the air carried by wires to light the Olympic cauldron. The opening ceremony won a Peabody Award for excellence in electronic media.

China's government has appointed Zhang as director of a gala celebrating the communist regime's 60th anniversary on Oct. 1.