Award-winning director Ron Howard will direct a new biopic on world-renowned Chinese pianist Lang Lang, which will be based on the pianist's memoir "Journey of a Thousand Miles: My Story." 

Howard won the 74th Academy Award for Best Director for biographical drama "A Beautiful Mind" in 2001. The film will be produced by Stuart Ford's AGC Studios and Howard's Imagine Entertainment shingle.  

It's worth noting that Lang Lang will act as one of the executive producers during the filming, together with Jean-Jacques Cesbron, Polygram Entertainment's Michele Anthony and David Blackman. 

Lang Lang is one of the most renowned and popular classical pianists in China. He is also the first Chinese pianist to be engaged by the Berlin Philharmonic, the Vienna Philharmonic and some top American orchestras.  

The biopic will start from Lang Lang's childhood in Shenyang City, northeast China's Liaoning Province, and will show how his family devoted almost everything to help him chase his music dream. 

"Lang Lang's story is one of determination, passion, sacrifice, and finding the inner strength to beat the odds," said Howard and his producer in a statement, adding "this film is a bridge between two cultures that share universal truths about the gauntlets we face in the pursuit of greatness." 

The news sparked a public discussion on Twitter and Weibo, with netizens expressing doubts over the cross-cultural work. A trending comment said "no more white creative teams telling Asian stories."  Lulu Wang, Chinese-born director and producer, also expressed her concern of the lack of Chinese talent behind the project. 

"As a classically-trained pianist born in China, I believe it's impossible to tell Lang Lang's story without an intimate understanding of Chinese culture," Wang said on her twitter, which has received 26,000 likes as of time of writing. 

The film is set to be shot in China and the U.S. and in both Chinese and English.

(Cover image: Lang Lang plays at the global press conference of his new album "Bach: Goldberg Variations" on September 4. /CFP)