The Great Wall trailer: Matt Damon fights monsters in first clip from Zhang Yimou's English-speaking film

Pedro Pascal, Willem Dafoe, and Andy Lau co-star in the fantasy film

Matt Damon may be busy running from the government in Jason Bourne, but it a matter of months he’ll be fighting monsters in The Great Wall.

Directed by Zhang Yimou - best known for Hero, House of Flying Daggers, and Ju Dou - the film, which marks his first English-language feature, has received its first trailer.

The clip quickly details the film’s plot: that Damon, a European warrior, will team up with Game of Thrones' Pedro Pascal and Andy Lau’s characters to take on monsters who are attempting to breach The Great Wall of China. Also starring in the film is Willem Dafoe, Jing Tian, Luhan, and Zhang Hanyu.

Speaking to EW about the film, Yimou said: “The film takes place about 1,000 years ago. At its core, it is a period piece and an action film. The fantasy element does play a major role because of the monsters. But, what makes our film unique is that these are ancient Chinese monsters.

“Even though it’s a fantasy movie, we filmed it in a very realistic way. We want it to feel like the events actually happened. Other than the monster, all aspects of this film are backed by either scientific or historical research.”

The Great Wall, which will hit cinemas in 2017, also marks the most expensive film ever shot entirely in China, having a budget of $135 million.