Stars Collective Movie Leisure Group is mounting an bold animated movie trilogy based mostly on “Journey to the West,” considered one of China’s 4 nice classical novels, the corporate revealed on the primary day of Hong Kong FilMart.

The trilogy — comprising “Bajie,” “Monkey King” and “Nezha” — goals to introduce and develop Japanese mythology to international audiences, constructing on current successes within the area. The mission comes as Japanese mythology continues gaining traction in leisure, with online game ”Black Fable: Wukong,” which relies on Chinese language mythology, hitting record-breaking gross sales of 28 million copies ($1.25 billion in income) since its August 2024 launch, whereas Lunar New 12 months launch “Ne Zha 2” has handed $2 billion on the international field workplace.

“Journey to the West,” which has been translated into greater than 40 languages, is described as an Japanese fusion of “The Odyssey” and “The Lord of the Rings,” spanning realms of gods, demons and people. Presently in script improvement, the trilogy is about to begin manufacturing in 2026, utilizing AI-generated animation and movement seize to create a hyper-realistic mythological world. “Bajie” will lead the collection as the primary manufacturing.

A cornerstone of Chinese language literature, “Journey to the West” follows the adventures of the mischievous Monkey King, Solar Wukong, as he escorts the Buddhist monk Tang Sanzang on a dangerous pilgrimage to India, battling demons and looking for enlightenment alongside the way in which.

Every movie goals to deeply discover iconic characters from the traditional textual content. “Bajie” will break conventional stereotypes by exploring Marshal Tianpeng’s fall to the mortal realm, revealing the loyalty and sacrifice behind his seemingly carefree demeanor.

“Monkey King” facilities on “The True and False Monkey King” narrative, utilizing the Six-Eared Macaque as a mirror metaphor for Solar Wukong’s transformation from the “Nice Sage Equal to Heaven” to the “Victorious Preventing Buddha.”

“Nezha” explores the tragic destiny of “reducing flesh to return to his mom, and eradicating bones to return to his father,” analyzing themes of rebel and redemption. The movie reimagines Nezha’s “Three Heads and Six Arms” fight aesthetics by way of Zen Buddhist philosophy.

Peter Luo, founding father of Stars Collective, mentioned: “Our ‘Journey to the West’ trilogy represents a brand new chapter in international storytelling. We’re not simply adapting a traditional story, we’re revolutionizing how Japanese mythology will be introduced on the world stage. Our mission is to create a cinematic expertise that bridges cultures and generations, combining timeless storytelling with cutting-edge expertise. This mission marks a big milestone in bringing genuine Chinese language mythology to international audiences in methods they’ve by no means skilled earlier than.”

Increasing past conventional cinema, Stars Collective has partnered with Stars Immersion, Stars Immersion China and Echotech to create XR immersive theatrical experiences. The primary worldwide flagship location is scheduled to open in Los Angeles by the tip of 2025, adopted by an enlargement to 30 venues throughout North America in 2026 and 50 areas abroad by 2027.

Nancy Xu, co-CEO of Stars Collective, mentioned: “This isn’t simply an extension of the movie — it’s a parallel universe the place audiences all over the world can really reside inside ‘Journey to the West.’”

These venues will characteristic motion-sensing expertise and interactive storytelling, permitting worldwide audiences to expertise key moments like Solar Wukong’s “Havoc in Heaven” and the “Flaming Mountain” firsthand.

“We wish audiences not solely to ‘see’ this mythological spectacle however to ‘expertise’ it — contact Wukong’s Golden Cudgel, trip Nezha’s Wind Fireplace Wheels and really feel the tremor of Bajie’s 9-Toothed Rake,” mentioned Yu Xu, CEO of Echotech and Meilin Tradition. “Our aim is to deliver traditional mythology to life in an unprecedented manner, forging a deeper emotional reference to audiences worldwide.”

From the large display to the small, “Journey to the West” has seen extra reincarnations than the Monkey King himself. The sixteenth century epic has impressed a gentle stream of variations, from Shaw Brothers’ 1966 traditional “Monkey Goes West” to Stephen Chow’s irreverent 2013 reimagining “Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons.” Tv has been simply as devoted, with the 1986 CCTV collection cementing itself as a cultural touchstone in China, whereas Japan’s 1978 cult hit “Saiyūki” (aired as “Monkey” within the U.Ok.) discovered a world following. The West has taken its personal swings, with all the things from the “Dragon Ball” franchise — loosely impressed by the parable — to the Australian-New Zealand co-production “The New Legends of Monkey” (2018), launched on Netflix. Whether or not as a wuxia epic, slapstick comedy, or CGI-laden spectacle, Solar Wukong’s mischievous spirit has confirmed as adaptable as it’s indestructible.

Stars Collective has been actively constructing its slate of initiatives. The corporate not too long ago introduced a strategic partnership with El Pajaro Footage Shanghai Co. to collectively develop, produce and distribute a brand new animated movie adaptation of “The Little Prince.” It additionally maintains a strategic partnership with DNEG for immersive expertise initiatives in China and has partnered with HashMatrix Co. on AI initiatives and a brand new AI movie competition.

On the inaugural Stars Summit in Los Angeles, Stars Collective, Hana Funding (China) and Starlight Media confirmed their partnership on the primary initiatives from the Stars-Hana $300 million fund established to speculate throughout verticals together with movie and TV, comics, video games, collectibles, client items, AI and superior leisure applied sciences.

The corporate has not too long ago secured rights to the nonfiction e-book “Fortune Sons: The 120 Chinese language Boys Who Got here to America, Went to Faculty, and Revolutionized an Historical Civilization,” creating it with Oscar-winning producer Donna Gigliotti (“Silver Linings Playbook,” “Hidden Figures,” “Shakespeare in Love,” “The Reader”).

Stars Collective has additionally optioned movie and TV rights to bestselling writer Shawn M. Warner’s “Leigh Howard and the Ghosts of Simmons-Pierce Manor,” an Amazon Charts No. 1 bestseller and TikTok phenomenon. Most not too long ago, the corporate partnered with Thailand’s Movie Odyssey to finance and produce an untitled muay Thai motion movie trilogy starring Thai martial arts motion star Tony Jaa.