Renowned Chinese filmmaker Jia Zhangke is making a film inspired by the "Journey to the West," based on the Wu-Cheng'en-penned 16th-century novel, Variety reported.
According to Jia, the "west" in this movie project refers to India.The classic novel follows the journey of Tang dynasty Buddhist monk Xuanzang throughout India and Central Asia.
The Chinese auteur further noted that he will cover a part in the story "where the monk visits a country populated only by women."
"Maybe we will collaborate with India, as the story is connected with the country," Jia revealed.
The "Journey in the West" film will be produced through his production outfit, Fabula Entertainment, together with the Shanghai Film Group Corporation.
The Wu-Cheng-en literary masterpiece has been previously memorialized via various big and small screen adaptations. The latest is Tsui Hark's upcoming film, "Journey to the West: Demon Chapter," which serves as a sequel to the 2013 Stephen Chow masterpiece, "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons."
Apart from this, Jia has been busy with other movie endeavors. Earlier in February, Jia revealed that he will be helming a martial arts projects in cooperation with Media Asia. Currently, the film is on the lookout for cast members.
In June, the filmmaker also announced he is doing a virtual reality short, now being expanded to a feature length film. "It's a romance between Chinese youngsters," Jia hinted.
Jia is set to grace the Mumbai Film Festival to deliver a masterclass and receive an "excellence in cinema" award. His stay in India marks as his first visit to the country, which he holds close to heart. He enthused that his works are heavily influenced by the Raj Kapoor 1051 film, "Awaara."
Jia made his domestic film comeback after nine years when "Mountains May Depart" hit the Chinese theaters in October last year. The critically-acclaimed work was shown at Cannes and vied for the much coveted Palme d'Or.