With more than 40 movies under his direction, Tsui Hark adds “Journey to the West 2” to his filmography and, this time, teams up with fellow director-producer-screenwriter Stephen Chow.
A sequel to Chow’s 2013 fantasy-comedy "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons," Tsui’s latest film assignment will again have Chow as producer.
Chow's Bingo Group Limited and Jack Ma’s Alibaba Pictures Group confirmed the collaboration. The target release date will be 2017, with a budget of approximately $63 million.
No official statement has been made, however, concerning the cast.
The Hollywood Reporter described the collaboration as “interesting” because Chow and Tsui have “wildly divergent styles.”
After appearing in more than 40 films, Chow tried directing for the first time in 1993 via “Flirting Scholar” where he also played the lead. Lee Lik-chi co-directed this comedy film.
The 53-year-old lead of box-office hits “Shaolin Soccer” and “Kung Fu Hustle” is currently working on a sci-fi film entitled “The Mermaid.”
Before immigrating to Hong Kong with his family, 65-year-old Tsui spent the first 13 years of his life in Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City), Vietnam. Named “Man-kong” by his parents, he changed it to “Hark” when he was in America where he studied film in Texas.
Tsui graduated in 1975 and worked in New York in Christine Choy’s 1976 documentary film “From Spikes to Spindles” before going back to Hong Kong in 1977. In 1979, his directorial debut “The Butterfly Murders” was shown.
Prior to “Journey,” his last work was “The Taking of Tiger Mountain” shown in 2014 and based on Qu Bo’s novel “Tracks in the Snowy Forest.” The Zhang Hanyu and Tony Leung Ka-fai-starrer action flick made $223 million in the box office.
With Golden Horse and Hong Kong Film Award-winning Tsui Hark behind the camera, it can be surmised that Stephen Chow and other producers of “Journey to the West 2” are expectant that the sequel will be a huge hit.