Jackie Chan, Jet Li unite for Monkey King tale

The North American distributors behind the upcoming onscreen pairing of action stars Jackie Chan and Jet Li have revealed more details of the highly anticipated film.

The previously unnamed action epic will be titled The Forbidden Kingdom and begin filming in China in May, according to distributor Lionsgate, which is teaming up with the Weinstein Co. to release the film.

Rob Minkoff, who previously helmed family-friendly titles such as The Lion King, Stuart Little and The Haunted Mansion, is slated to direct.

His creative team includes cinematographer Peter Pau, best known for his Oscar-winning work on Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and famous fight choreographer Yuen Woo Ping, whose credits include Crouching Tiger, the two Kill Bill movies, the Matrix trilogy and recent kung fu classics such as Once Upon a Time in China, Drunken Master and Iron Monkey.

As long rumoured online by fans of both Chan and Li, the newmovie is inspired by the ancient Chinese legend of the Monkey King, told in the 16th centurynovel Journey to the West.

However, the new project will feature an original script about a modern-day, kung fu-obsessed teenager who is transported to ancient China after discovering an artifact from the Monkey King in a pawn shop. Once there, the teen becomes involved in an attempt to rescue the mythological character.

Fans have long awaited this first-ever onscreen pairing of Chan and Li, both of whom are trained martial artists each with a his own distinct fighting style. Each has also gained international fame as a top martial arts and action-film star.

However, in recent years, both actors have also expressed a desire expand their acting roles beyond martial arts-centred films.

The Forbidden Kingdom is scheduled for release in mid-2008.