Hollywood to produce a trilogy of animated films based on Journey to the West: Pigsy, The Monkey King, and Nezha

According to the latest overseas reports, American entertainment company Stars Collective announced at the Hong Kong International Film and Television Exhibition that it will launch a trilogy of animated films adapted from "Journey to the West", one of China's four great masterpieces: "Bajie", "Monkey King" and "Nezha".

The trilogy is currently in the script development stage and is scheduled to begin production in 2026. It will use AI-generated animation and motion capture technology to create a surreal mythological world.

Among them, "Bajie" is the first one, which is said to "break traditional stereotypes, focus on the story of Marshal Tianpeng falling to the mortal world, and show the loyalty and sacrifice behind his seemingly heartless behavior."

"The Monkey King" focuses on the story of "the true and false Monkey King", using the six-eared macaque as a mirror metaphor to show the transformation of Sun Wukong from the Great Sage Equaling Heaven to the Fighting Buddha.

"Nezha" will showcase the tragic fate of "cutting flesh to return to mother and cutting bones to return to father", the themes of rebellion and redemption, and re-imagine Nezha's three-headed, six-armed fighting aesthetics through Zen Buddhist philosophy.

Peter Luo of Stars Collective said: "Our Journey to the West trilogy represents a new chapter in global storytelling. We are not just adapting ancient classics, but innovating how Eastern mythology can be presented on the world stage. Our goal is to create a film experience that connects cultures and generations, combining classic storytelling with the most advanced technology, and bringing authentic Chinese mythology to the world in a way that audiences have never seen before. "