‘Black Silk’ Expands Russia-China Spy Thriller as Miloš Biković Returns Alongside Maxim Matveev as Richard Sorge

Dragon Media News Desk

Following the success of the historical espionage thriller “Red Silk,” its sequel “Black Silk” is moving forward with a larger international setting, an expanded cast and a story centred on Shanghai in 1931.

Andrey Volgin returns as director, while Miloš Biković reprises his role as Nikolai Garin. Russian actor Maxim Matveev joins the franchise as legendary Soviet intelligence officer Richard Sorge. Gleb Kalyuzhny and Chinese actress Zheng Hanyi are also returning to their roles from the first film.

The story unfolds in Shanghai in 1931, where a mysterious cargo codenamed “Black Silk” becomes the target of intelligence agents representing several countries. The search eventually takes the characters aboard a passenger liner and a massive airship, both of which become dangerous traps.

Production began in Russia in March before the filmmaking team moved to China for an important shooting block at Hengdian World Studios.

Volgin has said the production team studied archival photographs, historical maps, advertisements, architecture and period materials in an effort to recreate the atmosphere of 1930s Shanghai, when European and Chinese cultural influences intersected within one of Asia’s most cosmopolitan cities.

The sequel is also being developed on a larger technical scale than its predecessor. While a train provided the principal setting for much of “Red Silk,” the new film shifts major sequences to a Japanese passenger ship and an enormous airship.

Interior sets for the ship and airship are being created with LED-screen technology, allowing performers to work within immersive environments rather than relying entirely on conventional green-screen production. Special mechanical systems and controlled water effects are also being used to simulate storms aboard the ship.

Matveev’s portrayal of Richard Sorge is one of the film’s most significant additions. The filmmakers intend to explore Sorge’s Shanghai period while presenting the celebrated intelligence figure not simply as a historical symbol, but as a person confronting difficult choices, uncertainty and responsibility.

Biković has said Garin’s new mission will connect his character’s personal history with a crisis carrying much wider international consequences. He has described the sequel as larger, more dynamic and more visually ambitious than “Red Silk.”

The international cast also includes Serbian actor Aleksandar Radojičić, Maya Giter, Alexei Takharov, Polina Kutsenko, Ilya Antonenko and Japanese actors Hiroyuki Mori and Junsuke Kinoshita.

“Red Silk” became a significant Russia-China film collaboration, receiving national-film status in both countries. “Black Silk” is extending that model through a production involving Russian and Chinese facilities, artists and technical teams.

The sequel is scheduled for theatrical release in Russia on March 31, 2027.

Its performance could prove important not only for the future of the “Silk” espionage franchise, but also as a test of whether large-scale Russia-China film cooperation can produce commercially viable stories designed for audiences beyond their respective domestic markets.