{
  "id": 13058630,
  "title": "How ‘Dying to Survive’ Director Wen Muye Turned a Cook’s War Into $342 Million China Smash ‘Once Upon a Time in the Middle East’: ‘I Never Think About Social Issues in Advance’",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/09/how-dying-to-survive-director-wen-muye-turned-a-cooks-war-into-342",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-09T07:16:44.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Variety",
    "slug": "variety",
    "url": "https://variety.com/2026/film/news/once-upon-time-middle-east-director-wen-muye-1236906350/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "Xu Fu went to the Middle East for the money. The Shenyang cook, played by Shen Teng in “Once Upon a Time in the Middle East,” takes the head-chef job at the Dragon Restaurant because the pay could help clear his family’s debts. When war breaks out, he is shaken from his sleep and runs […]",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}