Monkey King Film

[siegecrossbow]

Chinese Monkey King story adapted in $60M 3-D film - Yahoo! News

HONG KONG – The Monkey King character from Chinese folklore will be revived in a $60 million 3-D blockbuster starring Donnie Yen and Chow Yun-fat, as local filmmakers try to match the massive success of "Avatar" by launching their own productions in the new format.

The Monkey King, also known as Sun Wukong, hails from the classic Chinese novel "Journey to the West," which describes a Buddhist monk's pilgrimage to India to collect religious texts. He is protected by three disciples, including a fighting monkey with magical powers.

The popular story is frequently adapted in stage productions, movies and TV series. It received the Hollywood treatment in 2008 when Lionsgate released "The Forbidden Kingdom," which costarred Jackie Chan and Jet Li, who played the Monkey King.

Now Chinese filmmakers are answering with a big-budget adaptation of their own.

Hong Kong director Soi Cheang started shooting "Monkey King" in Beijing on Oct. 8 with Yen in the title role and Chow playing a mythical emperor, Hong Kong-based Filmko Entertainment, one of the investors, said in a statement Monday. Other stars include actor-singer Aaron Kwok and actresses Kelly Chen, Cecilia Cheung and Gigi Leung.

"Monkey King" follows the character's life story before his India trip, when he attacked the Heavenly Kingdom with the Buffalo Demon King (Kwok), upset that he was snubbed by its rulers — a move that led to his imprisonment until the pilgrimage.

Chinese studios are keen to cash in on the country's fast-growing 3-D movie market, which delivered a whopping $206 million in box office revenues to the makers of the Hollywood sci-fi epic "Avatar" earlier this year — a feat that made the James Cameron film the top-grossing movie in China of all time. About a third, or 1,100 of China's movie screens are 3-D screens, the official Xinhua News Agency reported in April.

Famed Hong Kong director Tsui Hark also recently started shooting a 3-D production, announcing he will remake his 1992 kung fu movie "Dragon Inn" in the format.

The production team for "Monkey King" draws from Hollywood expertise, including visual effects designers who worked on 3-D movies like "Avatar" and "Alice in Wonderland," Filmko said.

Yen was most recently seen in Andrew Lau's "Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen," playing the nationalist hero made famous by Bruce Lee. Chow's releases this year are the biopic "Confucius" and the World War II-era drama "Shanghai."

The director of "Monkey King" is known for tackling monster-like characters in horror films. Cheang's latest movie, the psychological thriller "Accident," was nominated for the Golden Lion Prize at the Venice Film Festival last year.

Filmko said the Hong Kong filmmaker will spend five months shooting "Monkey King" and another 15 months editing his footage. The expected release date is 2012.

 

[The Clarifier]

Congratulations, but can I ask one question: Why can people fly in Chinese films? I just don't geddit.

 

[siegecrossbow]

Congratulations, but can I ask one question: Why can people fly in Chinese films? I just don't geddit.

People who could fly are martial arts experts who practice "Qing Gong". This supposedly makes them lighter or something through the channeling of Chi (the closest Western comparison I can think of is the Force in Star Wars).

 

[A.Muqeet khan]

People who could fly are martial arts experts who practice "Qing Gong". This supposedly makes them lighter or something through the channeling of Chi (the closest Western comparison I can think of is the Force in Star Wars).

but i mean is it possible (which i really doubt|) if not why depict it in movies

 

[SomeGuy]

but i mean is it possible (which i really doubt|) if not why depict it in movies

Movies depict a lot of impossible/unlikely things as possible.

And it's not really flying - more of a graceful leap.

 

[The Clarifier]

Yeah like they are walking on top of trees.

But I like them because they are based on lighter and more fantasy themes. Of course, there are chinese films that of different genres but I never watch them.

 

[justanobserver]

The Monkey King is a Chinese version (could be the same person) of the Hindu god Hanuman

btw a user here (jayron) mentioned that he was part of this project, maybe he can contribute more to this thread?

 

[Spring Onion]

eeh lo. Indians will jump in everything

 

[hahahaha]

eeh lo. Indians will jump in everything

That's we we separated..

 

[jayron]

Is Monkey King the favorite folklore in China? Seems like a lot of movies have been made on that subject. I think I mentioned earlier that I am working on a Monkey King animated movie produced by Leon Lai.

 

[siegecrossbow]

Is Monkey King the favorite folklore in China? Seems like a lot of movies have been made on that subject. I think I mentioned earlier that I am working on a Monkey King animated movie produced by Leon Lai.

Journey of the West is pretty popular since it is one of the "Four Classics". To be frank I think that Chinese filmmakers should start trying new topics. Some of their efforts make the Hollywood remakes look refreshing.

 

[D3sir3]

ahh damn i thought it said Donkey Kong Film

 

[ThatDamnGood]

The Monkey King is a Chinese version (could be the same person) of the Hindu god Hanuman

btw a user here (jayron) mentioned that he was part of this project, maybe he can contribute more to this thread?

Is so.
That why it has been said, India didn't send any armies but have conquered quite a bit of China.

 

[ThatDamnGood]

Journey of the West is pretty popular since it is one of the "Four Classics". To be frank I think that Chinese filmmakers should start trying new topics. Some of their efforts make the Hollywood remakes look refreshing.

True but I want to see Justice Bao though there might be still be some problems producing it.

 

[Nomenclature]

Filmko's last 3D film (a Chinese adaption of Don Quixote) was a complete critical and box-office failure. They're not even going to recover their investment in that film and they're throwing another $60 million to make a 3D Monkey King adaption? And with a completely no name director?

Guess there really is a lot of hot money entering the Chinese film market. Still as long as they keep the production local they at least will contribute to the growth of film industry, even they're undertaking a huge business gamble.