Hong Kong director of several cult action films at once John Woo plans to break into a superhero game with the adaptation of the unreleased comic book of the late Stan Lee . While Wu is listed as a producer, he may agree to direct the tape in order to increase its value in the eyes of the audience.
Stan Lee and Sharad Devarajan in 2016 came up with the Monkey Master comic , a loose interpretation of the Chinese legend of the Monkey King. The protagonist of the story is New York archaeologist Lee Yong, who unearths an ancient prophecy about the Monkey King in the archives, which leads the central character to India, where he discovers a mysterious power that transforms him into a modern superhero Master of the Monkeys.
The Monkey King is one of the main characters in the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West. Almost every year, Chinese filmmakers make films that retell this story in one way or another.
Actually, this explains Woo’s interest:
Stan Lee’s story is a unique version of Journey to the West, featuring mythological characters and an uncharted trip to India. There are all the elements close to my heart for filmmaking – great heroes, action and adventure.
The Chinese will definitely appreciate it, and so will Western audiences.
