Chinese director Tian Zhuangzhuang's new film, "The Warrior And the Wolf", premiered in Beijing last weekend. The director has turned up with cast members Maggie Q and Joe Odagiri.

"The Warrior And the Wolf", a mythical fantasy film based on Japanese writer Inoue Yasushi's novel of the same name, is Tian Zhuangzhuang's comeback after a ten-year absence from the silver screen.

Set in the Qin dynasty, "The Warrior And the Wolf" tells a myth about a frontier warrior and a tribeswoman from Qin's wolf-rampant north border. After falling in love, the pair must endure a curse and are transformed into wolves.

Director Tian Zhuangzhuang said, "I think the ending is really touching. The two lovers are willing to be transformed into animals just to safeguard their love. That would be anyone's last choice, but they make it."

It is also the first-ever commercial picture by Tian, an art-house movie director who shares equal prestige with his peer, Zhang Yimou, in China 's contemporary film scene.

Tian also teams up with the Oscar-award winning costume designer Emi Wada in this movie. She has been working frequently with Chinese directors in recent years, including Zhang Yimou in his martial-arts epics "Hero" and "House of Flying Daggers".

"The Warrior And the Wolf"premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 13th. The film will be released nationwide on October 2nd.