While Hollywood wrestles with the role of artificial intelligence, Chinese studios are charging ahead. At the Shanghai International Film Festival, a coalition of industry leaders announced an ambitious plan to use AI to “revitalize” around 100 classic martial arts films, giving a modern makeover to works starring legends like Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, and Jet Li.
The “Kung Fu Movie Heritage Project” will update iconic films such as Lee’s Fist of Fury (1972) and Chan’s Drunken Master (1978). Li’s Once Upon a Time in China (1991). The initiative will also produce what organizers call “the world’s first full-process, AI-produced animated feature film”—a cyberpunk reimagining of John Woo’s classic gangster film, A Better Tomorrow (1986).
Project leaders announced the plan will give these “aesthetic, historical treasures” a new look that “conforms to contemporary film viewing.” They promised the work would both “pay tribute to the original work” and “reshape the visual aesthetics.” To kickstart the massive undertaking, organizers have established a 100 million yuan ($13.9 million) fund.
This move reflects China’s broader, government-supported push to integrate emerging technology into its creative industries. Unlike the cautious approach in the West, China has already issued official guidelines to manage and promote the “healthy development” of AI services.
The Shanghai festival itself embraced technology, opening with a video montage that spliced AI-generated imagery into classic cinema, signaling a clear and confident direction for the nation’s film industry.
