Jet Li to play monk Fahai

Jet Li, a Buddhist, will don a monk's robes in It's Love, a fantasy film based on a well-known Chinese folk tale.

Li will play Fahai, a monk who intervenes in the relationship between a young scholar and his lover, a white snake in human form. The story, widely known in China, had existed in oral traditions before being written into a short story collection around the early 17th century. It has been the subject of several Chinese films and TV dramas.

The film has many action sequences showing Li battling computer-generated "snake demons". Calling it a new experience, Li says his role was a challenge as he had to imagine his enemies' moves.

Mainland actress Huang Shengyi plays the white snake and Hong Kong actor Raymond Lam, her love interest.