John Woo taking on Stan Lee’s Monkey Master could see him tap Chinese, Western, even Indian audiences, creating bridges he’s long wanted to build
- Woo is earmarked to co-produce the project, marking his first dip into the world of superheroes
- Rather than taking on another Marvel or DC Comics do-gooder, this feels more in line with Woo’s recent fascination with exploring Chinese history in films
When news broke last week that John Woo was joining forces with the late, great Stan Lee, you could practically hear the internet salivating. The director behind such Hong Kong cinema classics as Hard Boiled and Face/Off taking on a live-action version of Monkey Master, an unreleased 2016 comic series co-written by the Marvel supremo – the very thought of it is a hugely exciting prospect for any fan of the superhero genre.
Woo, who turns 75 in September, is earmarked to produce the project, alongside – among others – Lee’s co-writer on the series, Sharad Devarajan. There’s no word yet on whether Woo will return to the director’s chair too, though he would be a prime candidate to take the job. His last effort was 2017’s breathless contemporary thriller Manhunt; since then, he’s been quiet – both as producer and director.
The source material loosely deals with the Chinese legend of the Monkey King, a mythic figure featured in the 16th-century classic Chinese novel Journey to the West who gains supernatural powers through Taoist study.
Having already inspired numerous video games, manga, animations, and live-action film and TV adaptations, the character clearly intrigued Woo, who told industry paper Variety: “I have always wanted to make a film based on the Monkey King story of China but have struggled with a new way to present it.”
Lee and Devarajan’s comic series toys with the Chinese legend as New York City archaeologist Li Yong discovers an ancient prophecy about the Monkey King. He travels to India, where he encounters a hidden power and is transformed into a superhero, The Monkey Master.