(Alert for anyone over 40yrs old…) NETFLIX ARE REMAKING ‘MONKEY’!
Okay, so technically ‘Legend of the Monkey‘ is more a retelling of the 16th-century Chinese novel ‘Journey to the West’, than a direct remake of the cult classic late 70’s/early 80’s tv series ‘Monkey’, which used the same source material, but still… Monkey Magic is back! :D
The show follows the story of a young girl, who teams up with 3 fallen gods that embark on a perilous journey to end a demonic reign of chaos and restore balance to their world. Chai Hansen (Mako Mermaids, The 100) stars as Monkey, Luciane Buchanan (Filthy Rich, Blue Rose) as Tripitaka, Josh Thomson (Terry Teo, The Barefoot Bandits) as Pigsy and Emilie Cocquerel (Lion) as Sandy.
“The mythical tale of the Monkey King is a story that continues to captivate global audiences,” said Michael Carrington, Head of Children’s at ABC Television. “Our production partner See-Saw Films is bringing The Legend of Monkey to life through incredible locations and sets, an acclaimed production team and an exciting diverse young cast. We can’t wait for fans to see this new series that features the heroes they love and we are just as excited to introduce this reimagined magical and exciting world to a whole new generation of viewers.”
Head writer is the acclaimed Jacquelin Perske (Seven Types of Ambiguity, Spirited, Will) with both Craig Irvin (Nowhere Boys) and Samantha Strauss (Dance Academy) providing additional writing services.
The ‘Journey to the West’ has been a staple of Chinese cinema for a number of years in both live action and animation, but it was the cult TV version which really put it on Western tv’s radar. This new take on the tale consists of 10 x 30min episodes, and has just has began filming in Auckland, New Zealand… Because if you want a beautiful mystical looking land, where else are you going to shoot!
Legend of the Monkey will air on ABC in Australia, TVNZ in New Zealand, and on Netflix around the rest of the world in 2018. See-Saw Films, the people responsible for the Oscar winning ‘The King’s Speech’ are the production company, together with Jump Film & TV.
No news on if it will have an intro as kickass as the 70s/80s iteration though…
