“Monkey King 2” cast members Aaron Kwok (left) and Feng Shaofeng (second from left) pose for the press during a press conference. (Photo : QTV)
Based on the famed 16th-century Chinese novel "Journey to the West," the upcoming fantasy titled "Monkey King 2" or "Monkey King: White Skeleton Demon," will be released Feb. 8 next year.
The film will be directed by Hong Kong filmmaker Cheang Pou-Soi and produced by the Filmko Entertainment Group and 10 other film companies, the studio said during the conference in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, where the major scenes of the new film will be shot.
Hong Kong singer and actor Aaron Kwok will replace kung fu actor Donnie Yen, who played the Monkey King in the first movie, as the title character in the sequel.
Kwok, who originally portrayed the Bull Demon King in the first film, will take over Donnie Yen's part as Yen's schedule prevented him from meeting the production timeline, the studio said.
Other cast members include acclaimed international actress Gong Li as the shapeshifting White-Bone Demon, Feng Shaofeng as the Buddhist monk Xuanzang, comedian Xiao Shenyang as the pig demon Zhu Bajie, and Hong Kong actor Law Chung-him as the sand demon Sha Wujing.
"[The Monkey King is one of] only four Chinese films that have grossed more than 1 billion yuan," said Liu Xiaoguang, executive producer of the film. "The new cast is amazing, and the sequel will be the champion of the 2016 Spring Festival season and set new records at box offices."
The first "Monkey King" film grossed 1.06 billion yuan ($170.8 million) in 2014, but was widely criticized for its visual effects and script.
"We know the disadvantages of the first one," director Cheang Pou-Soi said. "We will improve it and upgrade it. We will challenge not only the technologies, but also ourselves. "
Gong Li said that she will play the White-Bone Demon, one of the key villains of "Journey to the West," differently from what people normally imagined.
"If the movie is going to be like what everyone thinks, it will be a failure. We will carefully recreate it and give people some surprises," she said.
Renowned Hong Kong action star Sammo Hung will also serve as the film's martial arts and action choreographer.
"I will design good but very difficult martial arts scenes for Gong," Hung said.
