bill kong

‘Mojin’ & ‘Painted Skin 2’ Director, Beijing Culture Announce New INVESTITURE OF THE GODS Trilogy

Directors Koan Hui and co. spent a great deal of time and energy bringing an ensemble effort to advance a full-throttle adaptation of Chinese folklore literary, Fengshen Yanyi with last year’s League Of Gods. That film is now poised for a home release in North America on August 1 from Sony while folks keen on the genre and source material alike may be pleased to learn that new efforts are on the horizon for a fresh new adapatation releasing in the next several years.

Leave that to Painted Skin: The Resurrection (2013) and Mojin: The Lost Legend (2015) helmer Wu Ershan now headlining as director of the ambitious new God Of War trilogy from Beijing Culture Media. Attached are screenwriters Ran Ping (Painted Skin: The Resurrection) and James Schamus (Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon), Lord Of The Rings trilogy producer Barry M. Osborne and executive producer Bill Kong among those listed for the production which is currently casting and is aiming for a 2018 start date for the first film to open in 2020.

Plot details and specifics remain pending for the film seperate from that of League Of Gods, but a new announcement teaser has taken shape online. It’s important here to remember to expect more news to break via trade news sites with likely new details and quotes and such, but check out the teaser below in the meantime and let us know if you’re excited for something other than another Monkey King movie (of which there are plenty if we’re being honest, just saying).

H/T: CGTN

Raman Hui’s MONSTER HUNT 2 Now Filming

Lee B. Golden III

On its face, Raman Hui’s 18th century short story adaptation, Monster Hunt, may seem like a kids’ movie not worth all the hype. That said, if that’s the basis for your abstinence from seeing it either this year or last year, you couldn’t be more wrong and its status as China’s highest grossing film of all time notwithstanding, the film tells one of the most heartfelt, exciting and compelling stories you’ll ever see on screen and with fun action sequences to boot as well from a script by Hui and co-scribe Alan Yuen.

This, plus the CG fare and adorable creature lore, should bode well for anyone simply looking for something fun to watch and it’s worth a rental, and you would be wise at the very least to catch it as a preamble for the sequel now underway in Beijing according to Variety. Chongqing Hot Pot star, actress Bai Baihe is returning with Rise Of The Legend co-star Jing Boran following the first film which saw a bumbling village mayor accidentally impregnated by a Monster Queen’s egg. Upon its hatching, he reluctantly pairs up with an aspiring monster hunter to protect the young creature whose royalty could very well determine peace amid the civil unrest and rift between the monster and human worlds.

The film marked Hui’s debut as director after serving as supervising animator and lead character designer for films such as Dreamworks’ Antz, Shrek and Shrek 2, and as co-director for Shrek The Third, among others. Bill Kong is back and producing the film as well through Edko Films and plot details are underwraps while more casting announcements and updates following its attendance next month at the American Film Market remain pending.

It’s A Tale Of Heroes And Villains Big And Small In The New MONSTER HUNT Teaser!

Lee B. Golden III

Considering China’s continuing efforts in sharpening its visionary methods for 3D fantasy filmmaking, debut director Raman Hui‘s newest offering couldn’t come at a better time. His new film, Monster Hunt, which he also wrote with Alan Yuen, is based on an 18th century short story compilation, serves up quite the for someone like Hui to deliver the same caliber of family-oriented action adventure spectacle seen aplenty in his previous work as supervising animator and lead character designer for films such as Dreamworks’ Antz, Shrek and Shrek 2, and as co-director for Shrek The Third, to name a few.