Kevin Spacey has signed up to star in Chinese-American director Dayyan Eng’s black comedy, Inseparable.

Hong Kong actor Daniel Wu and Chinese actress Beibi Gong are already attached to the project, which is principally financed by China-based Fantawild Pictures. It is due to begin production in southern China this month.

Inseparable is being produced by David U. Lee of Xinhua Media Entertainment (XME), a majority owned subsidiary of XSEL, and Eng through Colordance Pictures.  Li Ming of Fantawild, Kevin Spacey and Dana Brunetti in association with Trigger Street Productions, Bill Block of QED International and Steven Squillante will executive produce.

It will be the first time that Spacey has starred in a Chinese production. The film, which will be shot in both Mandarin and English, is about a troubled young man who is befriended by a mysterious American expat (Spacey) who changes his life. Wu co-stars as a young man and Gong as his investigative reporter wife.

“Fantawild Pictures and XSEL are leading the way in the Chinese film entertainment sector by being the first to bring a two-time Academy Award winning actor to a Chinese production,” said Fredy Bush, CEO of XSEL. 

Beijing-based Eng’s credits include romantic comedy Waiting Alone, which won awards at the Beijing Film Festival and was nominated for three Golden Roosters, and short film, Bus 44, which won prizes at Venice and Sundance.

Kevin Spacey is represented by CAA, Joanne Horowitz Management, and Hansen, Jacobson, Teller, Hoberman, Newman, Warren and Richman LLP.