Two of France's most stubborn heroes travel far past their usual Gaulish village in Asterix & Obelix: The Middle Kingdom, a 2023 comic adventure that sends them east to help an emperor's daughter.

What is Asterix & Obelix: The Middle Kingdom about?

The only daughter of Chinese emperor Han Xuandi flees a controlling prince who wants to control the throne through her, and her search for allies leads her, by way of a long and improbable journey, to the small Gaulish village where Asterix and Obelix live. The two warriors agree to escort her home, trading their familiar forests and Roman skirmishes for an entirely different empire, court, and set of dangers. Expect the series' usual mix of slapstick fights, wordplay, and a parade of side characters who complicate the mission at every turn, all wrapped around a rescue that becomes as much about protecting the princess's right to choose her own path as about getting her home safely. The film leans into the culture-clash setup for laughs while keeping Asterix and Obelix exactly as stubborn, hungry, and loyal to each other as ever.

About the cast

Guillaume Canet directs and stars, appearing alongside Gilles Lellouche, Vincent Cassel, Jonathan Cohen, Julie Chen, Leanna Chea, Marion Cotillard, and José Garcia in an ensemble that spans the village regulars and the new imperial court.

Context & significance

Guillaume Canet directs this entry in the long-running Asterix and Obelix film series, built on the classic French comic books and aimed squarely at Adventure, Comedy, and Family audiences. Setting most of the story in an imagined ancient China gives the production a change of scenery from earlier films' Roman and European settings, and the 2023 release continues the series' tradition of stacking a large, well-known cast around its two lead heroes.

Watching Asterix & Obelix: The Middle Kingdom on Ktime

Asterix & Obelix: The Middle Kingdom streams on K-Time with Persian dubbing and Persian subtitles, making the film's wordplay and sight gags easy to follow for Farsi-speaking viewers of any age. The page itself is free to browse, and watching only requires logging into a free K-Time account, part of a Farsi-first streaming experience built for the Iranian diaspora.