Netizens are in a twist over the announcement of AMC’s new Badlands project, a new martial arts drama loosely based on Journey to the West. Even though there have been numerous adaptations before it, it will be interesting to see what is different with this Columbused version of the classic Chinese tale and many are still apprehensive about another foreign remake, convinced that it will be a disservice to the original.
Journey to the West is probably the most reinterpreted and remade folk story in China, within the past two years there have been at least three major blockbusters in the mainland showcasing the journey of these historically relevant, fictional characters.
Journey to the West was first published in the 16th century, during the Ming Dynasty. Known as one of the four great novels of classic Chinese Literature, this epic story follows the epic pilgrimage of Xuanzang, through the western regions, to obtain sacred Buddhist texts with the aid of his disciples Sun Wukong (The Monkey King), Zhu Bajie, and Sha Wujing.
Martial arts filmmakers Daniel Wu and Stephen Fung (Tai Chi Zero) will be the executive producers of the series along with Stacy Sher and Michael Shamberg (Django Unchained). We can expect six, one-hour episodes to premiere in late 2015.