BEIJING, July 25 (Xinhua) -- "Papillon," a film based on the international best-selling autobiographic novel of the same name by Henri Charriere, is set to hit Chinese theaters on Friday, July 26, according to the China Film Distribution and Exhibition Association.

"Papillon," the French word for "butterfly," is Charriere's nickname.

The film follows the story of prisoner Henri 'Papillon' Charriere, who, wrongfully convicted of murder, is determined to escape from the penal colony on Devil's Island in French Guiana.

Starring Charlie Hunnam and Oscar-winner Rami Malek, the new film is considered by some critics as a modern retelling of a cinematic classic, the 1973 Steve McQueen film of the same name.

The book was first published in France in 1969, and its story covers a 14-year period between 1931 and 1945.