The China Film Foundation is partnering with various Chinese film studios to reimagine Kung Fu classics using AI technology. Some of the titles on the to-do list include Fist of Fury, The Big Boss, Once Upon a Time in China, and Drunken Master.
According to Deadline, the “AI reimagining” includes the goal of remastering 100 seminal kung fu films, using AI to enhance the overall production quality of the films while preserving authenticity.
“From Bruce Lee to Jackie Chan, from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon to Wolf Warrior,’ these films have shown the world the vitality and spirit of the Chinese people,” China Film Foundation chair Zhang Qilin said at the event, via Variety. “They are our cinematic calling cards to the world.”
We’ll keep you updated on this story as we learn more.
I just wonder if they’ll ‘restore’ Ashes of Time.
I’ve seen AI used for positive things, but I REALLY hope this isn’t going to make these classic films look like plastic, lifeless, hodgepodges of computer animation with the original footage.
I actually hope it does. Than no one will watch this.
One would think no one would watch dumbass movies about Jackie Chan with pandas or where he’s de-aged with AI, but they drank the kool-aid anyway.
Not interested one bit. This will be the end of future film production.
AI to digitally remaster old movies? We’ve seen how it can go wrong with the True Lies and Aliens 4K release. This is just a Chinese preference. Go on social media everyone is airbrushed to perfection. Go on a chinese smart tv, choose your favourite show and select 4k and everyone looks like a waxy doll at 60fps. It just what the chinese prefer. They hate film grain and 24fps.
As for using AI to remake classics, I can see A Better Tomorrow becoming the story of an awesome upright police officer who has to teach his ex gangster brother the error of his ways . Project A becomes an anti-colonial story where he rallies his men to otherthrow the evil British Empire. Police Story is just a two hour advert to join the PSB.
“using AI to enhance the overall production quality of the films while preserving authenticity”
You know what? Go buy vasoline and put those “things” where the sun don’t shine.