The Kung Fu Movie Heritage Project: 100 Classics AI Revitalisation Project was recently unveiled at the Shanghai International Film Festival, promising to digitally restore and enhance iconic martial arts movies featuring legends like Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, Jet Li, and more.
According to presenters, this cutting-edge initiative aims to breathe new life into China’s storied kung fu cinema using advanced AI technology.
Fueled by a substantial 100 million yuan (around $13.9 million) budget, the project plans to deliver high-definition upgrades to classic kung fu favorites such as Fist of Fury, Drunken Master, and Once Upon a Time in China, aiming to engage new audiences worldwide.
Taking innovation further, the initiative will also pioneer AI-generated remakes. Notably, John Woo’s A Better Tomorrow is being reimagined as A Better Tomorrow: Cyber Frontier, a cyberpunk-themed animated feature created entirely through generative AI. This ambitious film is touted as the world’s first full-length animated movie produced exclusively with AI technology.
The reimagined film is designed to showcase the technology’s creative potential, streamlining production processes that once required large crews and years of work.
This dual-pronged strategy underscores China’s commitment to preserving its cinematic history while pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in the future of filmmaking.
Zhang Pimin, chairman of the China Film Foundation, stated, "It is not only film heritage, but also a brave exploration of the innovative development of film art."
Tian Ming, chairman of project partners Shanghai Canxing Culture and Media, also shared sentiments, stating, "We sincerely invite the world’s top AI animation companies to jointly start a film revolution that subverts tradition."
Zhai Xuelian, secretary general of the China Science Fiction Industry Investment Alliance, also provided a statement. "[It] has shown us the infinite possibilities of the integration of traditional culture and future technology, and also the future development direction of traditional classic film and television, which is to use the new generation of science and technology as a fulcrum to allow the world to better experience the traditional charm and vitality of Chinese culture."
If China's groundbreaking project succeeds, expect Hollywood studios to jump on the AI remake bandwagon sooner rather than later.
Which major U.S. studio do you think will be the first to harness AI technology to reboot one of its classic films?