How drugs scandal almost derailed Monster Hunt, Chinese hit movie
When one of its stars was arrested on drugs charges in Beijing, it seemed like China's biggest-grossing film yet might never see the light of day
Monster Hunt has shattered box-office records in China, earning more than US$250 million and becoming the top-grossing Chinese movie of all time. But about nine months ago, director Raman Hui was literally in tears, unsure how he would ever bring his dream movie to screen.
The Hong Kong native had considerable Hollywood experience, having worked on DreamWorks Animation films including , and , and even co-directing . Yet whatever challenges Hui had faced over the years in dealing with the grumpy green ogre, one major upside of a cartoon leading man like Shrek is that he can never get busted on drugs charges and throw an entire production into jeopardy.
That, however, is precisely what happened on , which features real-life actors interacting with computer-animated monsters. And how the production bounced back is a remarkable tale of determination and hustle in China's rough-and-tumble movie market, where box-office receipts are surging but regulations are often vague and unevenly applied.
Produced by Bill Kong (known for critical and commercial hits such as Ang Lee's and Zhang Yimou's ), had finished shooting in 2013. By last summer, the sets had been junked and the special effects were about 70 per cent done.
Then Hui's star, Taiwanese actor and singer Kai Ko, was arrested in Beijing in August 2014 and admitted using marijuana. Hui - who had never before directed a movie on the mainland, nor one with live actors onscreen - initially figured the situation and attendant bad publicity would just delay the release a little from its planned opening in February 2015, during the Lunar New Year holiday. "My first reaction was, oh, that means I'll have more time to make the special effects even better," recalls the bubbly Hui, who looks far younger than his 52 years. "Silly me."
