French filmmaker and actor Guillaume Canet has been hired to direct a new live action entry in the Asterix & Obelix franchise.

Canet will also star alongside Gilles Lellouche.

The Silk Road is based on an original story written by Philippe Mechelen and Julien Hervé and will see the titular duo head to China.

The project is a co-production between Pathé Films, Les Enfants Terribles and Les Productions des Trésor. Shoot is set for 2020.

Pathé International is handling world sales and will be taking the film to the AFM.

The Silk Road is the latest property based on the much-loved French comics from writer René Goscinny and illustrator Albert Uderzo. The series has spawned numerous animated features, including 2018’s The Secret Of The Magic Potion, which grossed $46m globally, and live action features including 2002’s Asterix And Obelix Meet Cleopatra, which took $128m globally.

This morning, director Canet unveiled himself and Lellouche as the two characters on his Instagram feed: