China is claiming that it'll be breathing new life into its legendary kung fu cinema by harnessing the power of AI.
Unveiled at the Shanghai International Film Festival, the Kung Fu Movie Heritage Project: 100 Classics AI Revitalisation Project will digitally restore iconic martial arts films starring Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, Jet Li, and others.
Backed by a hefty 100 million yuan (approx. $13.9 million) budget, the initiative promises high-definition enhancements to beloved titles like Fist of Fury, Drunken Master, and Once Upon a Time in China, aiming to captivate new generations of global viewers.
But the project isn’t stopping at restoration. In a groundbreaking move, filmmakers will also explore AI-generated remakes.
John Woo’s A Better Tomorrow is being transformed into A Better Tomorrow: Cyber Frontier—a futuristic, cyberpunk-style animated feature produced entirely with generative AI. The film is being promoted as "the world’s first full-process, AI-produced animated feature film."
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 this project proves successful, don't be surprised if movie studios in the U.S. don't quickly follow suit. Which movie studio do you think would be the first to use AI to remake one of its classics?