Monkey King's new journey to the West
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E-mail Xinhua, January 20, 2016
JOURNEY TO HOLLYWOOD
Now, Zhang's team is partnering up with Hollywood's Paramount Pictures to make a 3D movie version of the epic for the global audience, with Zhang in the lead role. The new movie aims to stick as closely as possible to the 1986 CCTV version and will feature some other members of the original cast.
"No Chinese film has ever made a genuine worldwide impact, like Titanic or Avatar. Monkey King has the potential to do exactly that," he said.
Unlike the other Chinese literary classics, "Journey to the West" is easy to follow and suits all ages. The film and TV industry has already milked millions out of the story, but many productions featured dreadful storytelling, cheesy costumes or laughable special effects. Some were mere spoofs of the original story.
As the Year of Monkey approaches, numerous new productions will be trying to cash in. Zhang feels that classical literature and broader Chinese traditions deserve more respect. "A nation without culture is awful. A nation that fails to carry forward its culture is pathetic. A nation that tramples on its culture is shameful," he said.
Zhang recently directed a commercial for PepsiCo's annual celebration of the Chinese New Year. The ad is actually a six-minute mini-epic that tells how Zhang followed his family tradition to become the Monkey King and has already clocking up millions of views online.
"The success of the ad shows the vitality of Chinese mythology and culture. Not only does it sell Pepsi, but it is a timeless story," Zhang said.
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