BEIJING, May 27-- Steven Spielberg's"War of the Worlds," starring international super star Tom Cruise, will begin screening globally June 29. Its first run in China is due to begin July 9.

The science-fiction adventure thriller, a contemporary retelling of British novelist H. G. Wells' classic, depicts an extraordinary battle for the survival of humankind through the eyes of one American family.

Wells' 1898 novel was adapted into a 1953 film, a television series and an infamous 1938 radio broadcast by Orson Welles that convinced thousands of listeners that aliens had indeed invaded.

It's estimated that the production cost of the film will exceed that of"Titanic," the Hollywood blockbuster made in 1997.

(Source: Shenzhen Daily)