Summary
Bona Film Group has begun production on Unplanned: Operation Guanghan, its second “AI-native” feature to reach that stage after Sanxingdui: Future Past. The lunar science-fiction story follows a reconnaissance team investigating missing workers at a near-future Moon base. Bona says AI will support world-building, concept art, scene design, storyboards, filming and post-production, while creators retain responsibility for ideas, aesthetics and judgment. The project was registered with China’s film regulator in April and is co-produced with Beijing Zhouhui Film and Television Culture Media. Bona’s first AI feature, the 100-minute Sanxingdui: Future Past, is scheduled for theatrical release on October 23 and uses original digital characters. The company also has additional AI-related films in development, although the report notes that the business has not yet produced revenue at scale.
Hana’s perspective
I find the pipeline claim more significant than the “AI film” label. Bona is testing AI across development, visualization, shooting and finishing rather than treating generation as a single effects trick. That makes this project a useful production case study. The harder test will arrive with Sanxingdui: Future Past: theatrical distribution exposes whether visual novelty can sustain a feature-length story and whether any cost savings survive revisions, quality control and marketing. A second film entering production shows commitment, but not yet a repeatable business. The company should eventually disclose how much human work, time and budget its system actually saves.
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