Cast members of Cold War II. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Cold War II, a sequel of the 2013 Hong Kong Academy Awards' biggest winner, is set for global release on July 8.

Bill Kong, the producer, says the sequel with an all-star cast will be simultaneously released in China alongside another 27 countries, including those in North America and Africa.

The crime thriller, starring Hong Kong luminaries Aaron Kwok, Tony Leung Ka-fai and Chow Yun-fat, was the opening film for the ongoing 19th Shanghai International Film Festival.

When the original movie hit the Chinese mainland theaters in 2012, it soared to top the box-office takings for Hong Kong films that year. It also won nine prizes, including best picture and best actor at the 2013 Hong Kong Film Awards.

Picking up where it left off in the first Cold War film, the new tale revolves around the contending-for-power conflict between the two protagonists, an in-service police commissioner and his strongest rival.

Lok Man Leung, one of the two directors, says that the sequel has sought a breakthrough in sets and the dramatic conflicts.

"It's a bigger-scaled story with more exciting fights," he says.

Leung adds that they spent several months on research and took another nine months to polish the script.

Kwok, reprising his role of Sean Lau, says he felt more immersed into the character.

"The upcoming sequel adds more personal, emotional elements, such as Sean Lau (a police commissioner)'s family. It makes me feel I was closer to the role," he says.

Chow, one of the most recognized Asian faces in Hollywood, notes that the movie marks his cinematic return to the crime thriller genre after 24 years.

His personal hobby of photography was adapted to a key sequence to hunt the fugitives in the movie.