On rare occasions, two distinct worlds converge, much like the horizon where the sky meets land. The anticipation, thrill, and wonder of what emerges defy description. On such an extraordinary day, visionary filmmaker Guan Hu took on the challenge of adapting the works of literary giants. As he brings these narratives to life, the question lingers—can he translate their depth and brilliance onto the screen? The journey ahead promises to be nothing short of remarkable.
Two acclaimed works from classic writers are set for adaptation, promising a journey that will challenge the limits of storytelling.
Which two works is director Guan Hu bringing to life on screen?
Chinese director Guan Hu confirmed that he had taken on the challenge of adapting two major literary works—Liu Cixin’s sci-fi tale Full-Spectrum Barrage Jamming and Liu Zhenyun’s renowned novel One Sentence Is Ten Thousand Sentences, as reported by Variety.
Full-Spectrum Barrage Jamming, part of the To Hold Up the Sky
collection, depicted an intense electronic battle.
Black Dog (2024) dir. Guan Hu pic.twitter.com/PL0V2EEyqf
— ᴊᴜʟᴇs (@NeoDroogie) March 15, 2025
Guan Hu, known for his epic The Eight Hundred,
shifts gears with Black Dog
, a Cannes Un Certain Regard winner and Asian Film Awards nominee. Starring Eddie Peng in a near-silent role, the film delves into solitude, perseverance, and human-animal bonds. Hu, reflecting on his own feelings of alienation, saw the project as a personal reset after the exhausting scale of his previous works. Much like Nella Larsen’s Passing
, which was reimagined as a black-and-white film on Netflix, this adaptation brings a literary work to life in a new cinematic form.
The film was stunningly crafted, capturing an atmosphere of lingering unease and the fraught dynamic between two women bound by a hidden truth.
The transformation of Passing from page to screen
Rebecca Hall discovered a deeply personal link to Passing
, a story that reshaped her perspective.
Her grandfather was Black, yet she had always been perceived as White. Bringing the novel to the screen in 2021 led her to uncover long-buried aspects of her ancestry. Through this process, she reclaimed lost family history, while the film itself delivered a compelling exploration of race, identity, and societal perception.
Passing (2021) Dir. Rebecca Hall pic.twitter.com/PDQ2cJFMUx
— Eve O’Dea (@EveOnFilm) November 5, 2023
Rebecca Hall emphasized that Nella Larsen’s novel had a universal impact, exploring patriarchy, relationship fluidity, and identity struggles. Still Watching Netflix had uploaded a YouTube feature discussing how the century-old novel had influenced filmmakers. Similarly, Guan Hu’s adaptation of literary works evoked nostalgia, as he plans on bringing stories to life, proving that powerful narratives, regardless of their age, had remained significant in modern cinema.
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Are you looking forward to seeing Guan Hu bring these novels to life on screen? Let us know in the comments below.
