According to Sohu, China Central Television (CCTV) has announced that the movie "Journey to the West" will officially start filming in the first quarter of 2027. The film is expected to be 27 episodes long, with a budget of up to 500 million CNY (about more than 1,900 billion VND).
The film will focus on filming real outdoor scenes, even to areas like Xinjiang, in order to most accurately recreate the original details. Special effects are also said to be in cooperation with the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
One of the most notable points of this remake is that the cast has not been finalized and is being selected nationwide.
In particular, the role of Sun Wukong is expected to choose a professional hi-fi actor, because "diving as a monkey" is very difficult, and ordinary actors can hardly take on it in a short time.
The role of Zhu Bajie can choose comedians. And Sha Seng will prioritize tall, healthy martial artists with high ability to use new faces. Among the four teachers and students, one or two familiar faces will be needed to "maintain the attraction" for the work.
The thing that attracted the public's attention was the rumor that Vuong Nhat Bac was considered for the role of Tang Sanzang. In the past two years, he has rarely appeared on screen, and some previous films have not been scheduled for screening.
The character Tang Sanzang is not simple at all, it needs a spirit that is both compassionate and has a political opinion - something that not many young actors can express. Currently, Vuong Nhat Bac has not spoken out about this information.
The director in charge of the new version of "Journey to the West" is Phi Chan Tuong. He comes from a family of hi-fi artists, and once played Sun Wukong when he was young. This time making a remake of "Journey to the West", he especially values respecting the original, not wanting to rely solely on "reminiscent auras".
Everyone knows that the "Journey to the West 1986" version is classic, so this remake is very difficult. However, the director hopes that through the selection of actors and modern special effects, it will bring a new feeling, while deepening the details of the original to recreate a more "original" Journey to the West world.
According to Chinese media, this "Journey to the West" version not only has large investment capital and meticulous production but also combines modern technology with traditional art.
Strict actor selection - especially finding play actors for the role of Sun Wukong - shows respect for the character.
