Bill Borden Taking Wukong Warrior Global

Mili Pictures has partnered with High School Musical producer Bill Borden for an international adaptation and direct-to-television/streaming distribution of Wukong Warrior outside of China.

The feature reimagines the classic Chinese tale of Sun Wukong, a rebellious stone-born warrior with cosmic powers who is imprisoned beneath a mountain for 500 years as punishment for his arrogance. He is given one final chance at redemption—protecting a Buddhist monk on a dangerous journey to retrieve sacred scriptures from India—which he takes on with a greedy pig warrior, a sorrowful river demon and a talking horse.

Wukong Warrior is the first of a planned three-film saga from Mili Pictures.

Borden is spearheading the distribution approach, adapting Wukong Warrior for international television and streaming markets through his partnership with Summit International Pictures. While digital and linear platforms are a priority, the producers have not ruled out potential limited theatrical runs in the U.S. and other markets.

Borden has been working with Mili Pictures for over a decade, watching the company’s animation evolve from Dragon Nest to today.

“I’m incredibly excited to be working with the team at Mili, which has big ambitions backed by great artists and strong resources,” said Borden. “When I first saw their animation for their first film, Dragon Nest, a little over a decade ago, I remember being blown away by the artistic quality. It has been great seeing the studio grow and evolve. There is still huge potential for Chinese animation outside of China. Here, we have a story steeped in classic Chinese folklore told with heart, humor and adventure with the sensibilities that will appeal to audiences worldwide.”

“We feel there is great potential in making family entertainment that can travel all over the world,” commented Jack Zhang, chairman of Mili Pictures. “With the stunning quality of Mili’s animation and Hollywood experience in storytelling, we think we offer something very special. It’s great to be working with Bill Borden on reversioning our film for the world outside of Greater China.”