Producer of Monkey King hit unveils ten-year project — domestic animated film The Rise of the Monkey King set for nationwide release on July 10

Overview

Sky City Pictures (天空之城影业), the production company behind the surprise 2015 hit Monkey King: Hero Is Back (大圣归来), has announced a long-term, ten-year animation project anchored by a new feature, The Rise of the Monkey King (大圣崛起). The studio set a nationwide release date of July 10, 2026, and has released the first date-announcement trailer. The logline promises a darker turn: when the demon king Poxun (波旬) cracks open the hidden world behind Journey to the West, what will happen to the Buddha-turned-hero?

Story and creative team

The Rise of the Monkey King is scripted by Bai Ding (白丁) with Wang Chuan (王川) serving as producer, and it reportedly draws on core creative personnel who worked on Monkey King: Hero Is Back. The film positions itself as a continuation of the "hardcore guofeng + hot-blooded growth" style that helped revive commercial Chinese animation a decade ago. Set 500 years after Sun Wukong's (孙悟空) havoc in Heaven, the plot follows his escort of the monk Tang Sanzang (唐僧) and the internecine resistance from his own kin — including characters listed as Six Monkeys (六猕), A'mo (阿末), Bifang (毕方) and Poxun (波旬).

Industry and geopolitical context

It has been reported that Sky City plans to expand the title into a broader series with prequels and sequels, part of an ambition to build a sustained domestic franchise. That ambition comes as China’s film sector pushes to fortify homegrown intellectual property and box-office returns amid tighter cultural policies and an emphasis on "national style" storytelling. For Western readers: Journey to the West is one of China’s canonical 16th‑century novels, and Sun Wukong is a cultural icon whose cinematic reboots are often read as both entertainment and soft‑power exports.

What to watch next

The trailer teasers set a tone of mythic scale and conflict; audience reception this summer will be a key barometer of whether the new project can replicate the commercial and critical lift of its predecessor. Reportedly, further announcements about cast, international distribution and ancillary projects will roll out as the studio advances its ten‑year plan.