China government has blocked the release of The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor

The Mummy: The Tomb of the Dragon Emperor is facing problems in China. China’s State Administration for Radio, Film and Television is not ready to give permission to release the film. However, a spokesman from the Universal Studio said that the studio is not expecting any problems to clear the movie for China and looks forward to the release of the movie where it was shot.

According to news reports, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor deals with a dead Han emperor and his resurrected terra cotta army. Ghosts are considered to be taboos in Chinese culture. Variety reports:

Bill Kong, whose Edko Film is Universal's distributor in Hong Kong and China, acknowledged the issues.

"It is too early for me to comment on this until the situation becomes clearer," he said.

Kong, who is Asia's leading producer and has political and industry connections in China, had previously submitted script drafts to China Film Co-production Corp.

The production cost of The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor is a staggering $145 million, which makes it one of biggest franchises in the Hollywood cinema. The movie was jointly produced by Universal Pictures and Chinese government. The movie has been made following all the regulation of China Film Co-production Corp.

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Variety