Neil Gaiman Hired To Write Journey To The West Film, Guillermo Courted To Direct & James Cameron Will Consult

Variety reports that Neil Gaiman has been hired to write a film based on Journey To The West. The classic 500 year old tale that follows events that befall the Monkey King, armed with a magic staff, as he journeys with a monk, a pig spirit and a fish spirit to India to retrieve Buddha’s scrolls in an effort to find enlightenment.

They go on to say that Guillermo del Toro is being offered to direct while James Cameron would consult with the script and the 3D side of things. The tale was recently turned into a stage musical by the fellows behind the Gorillaz and I hope their artwork ends up being used as inspiration. While some might cringe to the idea of Westerners taking on the Asian tale it seems to be in good hands at the moment as everyone involved is respectful to original material.