Over the past few years, alongside blockbuster movies and top-tier TV shows across various genres, Netflix has also put a big focus on animation, delivering hits like Klaus and BoJack Horseman. Recently, the streaming giant announced it has secured three exciting new projects, including Monkey King, based on the classic Journey to the West story familiar to audiences in Vietnam and across Asia. Even more notable, the legendary actor and comedian Stephen Chow is set to produce this animated series.
This image was shared by Netflix on Twitter, confirming the upcoming Monkey King animated series produced by Stephen Chow.
Journey to the West, written by Wu Cheng’en, has long inspired many famous animated series, including Dragon Ball and The God of High School. Set in the 16th century, the story follows the monk Tang Sanzang on his journey to India to retrieve sacred Buddhist scriptures. He is accompanied by three disciples, Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie, and Sha Wujing, who are central characters punished for past mistakes.
To this day, Journey to the West has been adapted countless times on both big and small screens, spawning many spin-offs like comics and video games. In Vietnam, the classic 1986 TV version is still rebroadcast every summer. Even though the plot remains unchanged, the series continues to be loved by viewers of all ages.
Stephen Chow is no stranger to Journey to the West, having created several adaptations based on the novel. As an actor, he played Sun Wukong in “A Chinese Odyssey: Part One – Pandora’s Box” (1995) and “A Chinese Odyssey: Part Two – Cinderella” (1995). Later, as a director and producer, he revisited the classic with “Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons” (2013) and its 2017 sequel, also appearing as a supporting actor in the second film.
On its official Twitter, Netflix revealed that the entire voice cast for the upcoming Monkey King animated series will be of Asian descent to honor the original story. The cast includes familiar names like Jimmy O. Yang, Bowen Yang, Jolie Hoang-Rappaport, Jo Koy, Ron Yuan, Hoon Lee, Stephanie Hsu, Andrew Pang, Andrew Kishino, Jodi Long, James Sie, and BD Wong.
True to its title, Monkey King will focus on Sun Wukong himself rather than the entire journey of Tang Sanzang and his disciples. Netflix described the series as: “Inspired by the legendary novel Journey to the West, it follows a very special monkey and his magical iron staff. Together, they cause chaos in heaven and earth, battling gods, demons, dragons, and some of the greatest foes.” This suggests the story will take place before Sun Wukong was freed by Tang Sanzang from the Five Elements Mountain.
Netflix has yet to announce an exact release date for Monkey King, but some sources suggest it will premiere in 2022. Besides this Netflix collaboration, Stephen Chow is also working on the sequel to “Kung Fu Hustle,” one of his iconic action-comedy films that helped bring his name to international audiences.
Source: comicbook
