3D live action-CGI hybrid feature to debut in February 2015.
Raman Hui, character designer of Shrek and co-director of Shrek The Third, will make his live action feature directing debut with Chinese-language 3D fantasy Monster Hunt, according to a report by Variety.
Based on a story from the supernatural collection “Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio,” the film is budgeted at $30 million and backed by Hong Kong’s Edko Films.
Set in a fictional world where humans have raged war against monster for generations, the story begins with the birth of Woba, the last royal bloodline of the monster king, and centers on his quest to bring unity to the two races.
“We give this classic tale a new spin by reducing the horror element and reinventing it with family-friendly fantastical characters and settings in an epic style,” Hui reportedly said at a press event in Beijing.
While the central character Woba will be entirely CGI, the human cast includes Bai Baihe (Personal Tailor) and Kai Ko (You Are The Apple of My Eye), Eric Tsang (Infernal Affairs), Sandra Ng (Golden Chickensss), Yan Ni (A Woman, a Gun and a Noodle Shop), and Wallace Chung (Drug War).
Production is by Bill Kong (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon). Production designer is by Yohei Taneda (Kill Bill Vol. 1), costume designer by Yee Chung Man (Curse of the Golden Flower), cinematography by Anthony Pun (The Silent War), visual effects supervision is by Jason H. Snell (Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest), and action choreography by Ku Huen Chiu (Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons).
Release across Asia is set for the February 2015, following the Chinese New Year.
Formerly Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network, Jennifer Wolfe has worked in the Media & Entertainment industry as a writer and PR professional since 2003.
