CCTV version of Journey to the West

According to the Chinese media, Steven Spielberg has expressed some interest in several China-related projects and one of them is a film version of classic fantasy novel Journey to the West. Reportedly, he discussed the idea with several Chinese colleagues during his last visit to Beijing over a month ago.

Written during the 16th Century (Ming Dynasty) based on folktales by Wu Cheng'en, the novel tells the adventure of a Tang Dynasty (618-907) Buddhist priest Sanzang (a real historical person) and his three disciples, the Monkey King, the pig and Fiar Sand, as they travel west in search of Buddhist texts. There have been many movies, TV shows, comic series and animations based on the book or the characters of the book, which is very popular among Asian cultures.

Zhang Jinlai, who played the Monkey King in a TV version produced by China's CCTV, has volunteered himself to help Spielberg to do the project "right". He said there have been way too many unfaithful adaptations, which could only be described as disgrace to the classic, and in August or September this year, he would go to America to tell Spielberg about his concern. Zhang would also suggest to make the movie in China and shoot the scenes of "the west" in India or Nepal.