Actress Zhang Jingchu (left) and actor Lin Gengxin. [Photo provided to China Daily]

The upcoming action comedy, For A Few Bullets, is China's answer to the Tom Cruise franchise Mission: Impossible, according to the cast of the movie at a promotion event in Beijing on Thursday.

Set in a casino, the movie is a treasure-hunting adventure coupled with a romance.

Financed by industry giant Wanda Pictures, the filmmaking arm of the world's largest cinema chain operator, the Dalian Wanda Group, the film is set to hit Chinese mainland theaters on July 15.

Lead actor Lin Gengxin, who shot to prominence for his role in Tsui Hark's The Taking of Tiger Mountain, says that the script fascinated him as the heavy-action plot in some senses resembled his favorite film, Mission: Impossible.

"It's an unusual crime thriller which has a lot of humorous elements and tough fights," says Lin.

The cast also comprises veteran actresses Zhang Jingchu, who starred in Mission: Impossible 5, and Liu Xiaoqing, an evergreen star from the 1980s.

Liu is best known for her role of Wu Zetian — China's first and only female emperor — in both movies and TV series. Though most of her earlier roles were serious, Liu says the audience will see her talent for comedy in the new film.

"My character is a funny jitterbug. The role helped me show my humorous side. I have not had many chances to show off this side on the big screen," she says.

Ethnic Mongolian singer-composer Tengger and New Zealand-born actor-model Vivian Dawson, better known for Tiny Times 3, also star in the movie.