'Monkey King' to dominate Chinese film market

By Zhang Rui: 0 Comment(s)Print E-mail China.org.cn, January 17, 2014

The project is more than meets the eye. Wang Haifeng, Chow Yun-fat and Donnie Yen discussed and voted for director Cheang Pou-Soi, who is known for "Home Sweet Home," "Dog Bite Dog" and "Accident," because he is completely dedicated to the films he makes. They then recruited three famous script writers, Edmond Wong ("Ip Man 2"), Lola Huo ("Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons" and "Kung Fu Hustle") and Kam-Yuen Szeto ("Too Many Ways to Be No. 1" and "Exiled").

"Our script writers loved the novel very much, so they worked very hard on this film," Wang said. "The film has hundreds of settings and roles, and they did their best to tell a good story that both the old and young will enjoy."

The film "Monkey King," whose Chinese title is "Havoc in Heaven," comes from the first eight chapters of the classic novel, telling the story of how the monkey Sun Wukong learns to be immortal and rebels against the Jade Emperor of heaven. This is before he accompanies the monk Xuanzang on a journey west to collect the Buddhist sutras from India during the Tang Dynasty.

The 3D/IMAX "Monkey King" is set to make huge takings at the box offices. Wang said they have also sold distribution rights to 70 countries and regions including the United States and Australia, though it is too early to say if the film will be able to match the success of Stephen Chow's "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons," which made US$208.8 million worldwide after it opened on the lunar New Year's Day last year, making it the second highest grossing film ever in the Chinese mainland.

For Wang, however, this is not the most important thing. "Filmmaking is like making a dream," he said. "It is worth any amount of money to have the opportunity to put the 'Monkey King' on the big screen."