Viy (known internationally as Forbidden Empire and in the UK as Forbidden Kingdom), is a 2014 dark fantasy film produced by Russian and Ukraine Film Group and Marins Group Entertainment. This was followed in 2019 by a sequel entitled Journey to China: The Mystery of Iron Mask. Both films star Jason Flemyng and Charles Dance. The sequel also features Rutger Hauer (in one of his final films before his death), Jackie Chan, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Helen Yao. The film series is loosely based on the Nikolai Gogol story of the same name, which tells of the exploits of Cartographer Jonathan Green.
Early 18th century. Cartographer Jonathan Green undertakes a scientific voyage from Europe to the East. Having passed through Transylvania and crossed the Carpathian Mountains, he finds himself in a small village lost in impassible woods. Nothing but chance and heavy fog could bring him to this cursed place. People who live here do not resemble any other people which the traveler saw before that. The villagers, having dug a deep moat to fend themselves from the rest of the world, share a naive belief that they could save themselves from evil, failing to understand that evil has made its nest in their souls and is waiting for an opportunity to gush out upon the world.
Commissioned to map the Far East territories of the Russian Empire, cartographer Jonathan Green sets off on a long journey of unbelievable adventures—making breath-taking discoveries and meeting mysterious creatures, Chinese princesses, deadly masters of oriental martial arts, and even the King of Dragons.
Jonathan Green with his beloved Miss Dudley, accompanied by Russian sailors, arrives to the shores of India. They expect to board an English ship bound for London. But in India, Green receives a mysterious invitation from the mysterious and very wealthy Indian Vaibhava Singh, a meeting with whom will turn for Jonathan into new trials, adventures and confrontation with zombie army. To unravel the ancient legend, the famous traveler, cartographer and inventor Jonathan Green will have to overcome many obstacles, save his beloved from the darkness of ancient India's dungeons, face the wild fauna and fight the mystical forces of an insidious monster. And all this takes place against the backdrop of magical landscapes and colorful architecture of a mysterious country.
