Rumor: Faye to Star in ‘Journey to the West’

At a recent news conference, Zhang Jizhong (张纪中), producer and director of the upcoming mega-film and 50-episode TV drama “Journey to the West” (西游记), was asked if he wanted to have Faye Wong (王菲) play the critical role of the Goddess of Mercy (观音 Kuan Yin). He seemed to be surprised, with eyes wide open, and repeatedly asked, “Who said that?” He pondered the question for a moment, then said he had not decided but would be interested in discussing it. He said she would definitely be within the scope of possibilities.

For many, Faye seems like the perfect match for the role because of her recent appearance in a Buddhist performance. The photo below is an artist’s conception of how Faye might look in the part.

The following is from Wikipedia: “Zhang Jizhong is in the pre-production phase of his adaptation of Journey to the West movie trilogy, another one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese Literature, with the story focusing on the Monkey King, a household name in China and in other Asian countries like Japan and South Korea. Each of the three films in the trilogy are expected to have a budget of $100 million, which would make them the most expensive movies made in Chinese history. . . . The high budget for the Monkey King will be used for the visual effects and foreign talent, which will rival those Hollywood fantasy trilogies such as Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings and the Harry Potter film series. Zhang Jizhong is also developing a theme park, an online game and a television series based on his company’s digitized content of the Monkey King and Journey to the West.”

(Source epochtimes 8.18.09)