Andy Serkis tossed the dungeons and dragons treatment onto his coffee table, where it thudded to rest atop the scattered remains of nine other fantasy scripts previously discarded. With The Hobbit in post-production and Game of Thrones earning rave reviews on HBO, there was no shortage of epic fantasy projects looking for his participation. How ironic that after years of struggling for this sort of legitimacy he was now hoping for a more conventional role in a dramatic comedy.

And it was exactly then, just as Andy was beginning to feel sorry for both himself and Western culture more broadly, that he noticed the small yellow envelope which had fallen from the table to the yellow carpeting. The writing on the front was written in curiously formal capital letters. And while this was enough to entice him to open the letter and begin scanning it in nonchalant boredom, it wasn't long until his eyes returned afresh to the start of the page, and began anew as he realized the invitation to Beijing was serious.