Original cast of Journey to the West to reunite in film

Classic story told the classic way

There have been many remakes of Journey to the West in China's film market recently. Some of them did well at the box office, including the 2013 film Monkey King that made more than 1 billion yuan in ticket sales ($16.1 million).

However, most of the scripts deviate greatly from the original story, which Liu finds hard to accept.

"Although I hope culture can bloom all-together, the classic story is nothing to be joked upon," said Liu. "We don't have the right to do that, and we have our moral standards. They (the highly deviated versions of the story) may sell, but they are dangerous," Liu added.

Ke Liming, executive director of Ruyi Films who will produce the film, agrees on this.

"Chinese actors must play major roles in this film. We must also adhere to the classic literature and refuse any detours from the original story. With Hollywood technology, storytelling and special effects, we should see innovations in action and visual technology in the upcoming film," said Ke.

Main roles in the upcoming film will be played by the original cast members.

Rising actor Wu Yifan is to join, but his role has not been revealed yet.

"Wu Yifan is very handsome and really popular in China. If he could participate in the film, I believe he will surprise everyone with his performance," said Moore.

Related:

An uncomfortable new Journey to the West

US network to produce Chinese-inspired drama series