HONG KONG -- Shooting will begin next month on a US$20 million (£á14.2 million) movie about John Rabe -- the German protector of Chinese refugees amid Japanese slaughter in 1937 who has been likened to Oskar Schindler, its Chinese investor said Thursday.

The Chinese-German co-production between Huayi Brothers and Hofmann & Voges Entertainment adds to an already crowded slate of movies planned about the Japanese massacre in Nanjing, which historians say saw the slaughter of at least 150,000 Chinese civilians and the rape of tens of thousands of women.

Huayi Brothers said in a statement the movie, based on Rabe's diaries and called "John Rabe," will start shooting Oct. 18, with filming to take place in Shanghai and Nanjing. The statement said German Florian Gallenberger, a student of famed director Wim Wenders and winner of best live action short film Oscar in 2001, will direct.

Huayi Brothers didn't say who will play Rabe, but said the director is in talks with award-winning Chinese actress Zhou Xun about a part.

It also wasn't immediately clear what language the dialogue will be in. Calls to a Huayi Brothers publicist went unanswered.

Rabe, a German businessman and Nazi follower, was part of a group of expatriates who set up a safety zone for Chinese refugees in Nanjing -- then known as Nanking -- during the Japanese killings.

He's also featured in the American documentary "Nanking," which features actors' stage readings of witness accounts of the massacre. In that movie, Rabe is played by German actor Jurgen Prochnow, who appeared in "The English Patient" and "Body of Evidence."

Apart from "John Rabe" and "Nanking," other similar movies that coincide with the 70th anniversary Nanjing massacre include "Con Air" director Simon West's 400 million Chinese yuan (US$53 million; £á38 million) "Purple Mountain" and Hong Kong director Yim Ho US$35 million (£á25 million) "Nanking Xmas 1937."

Chinese director Lu Chuan is also planning the US$10.5 million (£á7.4 million) "Nanking! Nanking!"

Huayi Brothers says "John Rabe" is the only movie about the German businessman authorized by the Rabe family.