Chinese Studios Plan AI-Powered Remakes of Kung Fu Classics

An anonymous reader quotes a report from the Hollywood Reporter: Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan and Jet Li and a legion of the all-time greats of martial cinema are about to get an AI makeover. In a sign-of-the-times announcement at the Shanghai International Film Festival on Thursday, a collection of Chinese studios revealed that they are turning to AI to re-imagine around 100 classics of the genre. Lee's classic Fist of Fury (1972), Chan's breakthrough Drunken Master (1978) and the Tsui Hark-directed epic Once Upon a Time in China (1991), which turned Li into a bone fide movie star, are among the features poised for the treatment, as part of the 'Kung Fu Movie Heritage Project 100 Classics AI Revitalization Project.'

There will also be a digital reworking of the John Woo classic A Better Tomorrow (1986) that, by the looks of the trailer, turns the money-burning anti-hero originally played by Chow Yun-fat into a cyberpunk, and is being claimed as 'the world's first full-process, AI-produced animated feature film.' The big guns of the Chinese industry were out in force on the sidelines of the 27th Shanghai International Film Festival to make the announcements, too. They were led by Zhang Pimin, chairman of the China Film Foundation, who said AI work on these 'aesthetic historical treasures' would give them a new look that 'conforms to contemporary film viewing.' 'It is not only film heritage, but also a brave exploration of the innovative development of film art,' Zhang said.

Tian Ming, chairman of project partners Shanghai Canxing Culture and Media, meanwhile, promised the work -- expected to include upgrades in image and sound as well as overall production levels -- while preserving the storytelling and aesthetic of the originals -- would both 'pay tribute to the original work' and 'reshape the visual aesthetics.' 'We sincerely invite the world's top AI animation companies to jointly start a film revolution that subverts tradition,' said Tian, who announced a fund of 100 million yuan ($13.9 million) would be implemented to kick-start the work.

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