After 'Mad Men' and 'Breaking Bad', US network dreams up Chinese-inspired drama series

US television network AMC has announced it is making a martial arts drama inspired by the famous classic Chinese tale Journey to the West.

The drama tells the story of a warrior and a young boy who embark on an adventure across a dangerous land to find enlightenment.

It is loosely based on the popular 16th-century Chinese fantasy Journey to the West that details the pilgrimage of a legendary Buddhist monk who, along with the Monkey King and other fantasy characters, encounter danger and adventure.

The series is the network's third “straight-to-series order”, after hit zombie show The Walking Dead and a prequel of the Emmy-Award-winning Breaking Bad.

The story is created by Smallville's Al Gough and Miles Millar. The screenwriter and producer duo have previously been credited for several movies with Chinese martial arts elements, including the Jackie Chan action-comedy Shanghai Noon and The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, which stars Jet Li.