It seems the nature of Monkey really is “…irrepressible! “
The late ‘7 0s cult classic Japanese Tv show is back, child! Monkey is getting a remake as 10 half-hour episodes on Netflix.
According to the ABC, production is underway on the rebooted version of the kung-fu heavy indicate, called The Legend of Monkey, in New Zealand . The new version is slated to run on Australia and New Zealand’s public broadcasters too.
For the uninitiated, Monkey was based on the Chinese fiction, Journey to the West by Wu Cheng’en. Although the generation of Australian children who watched the Buddha-quoting, BBC-dubbed show weeknightly (< em> and for three hours on Saturdays) weren’t aware of that. They just find a dude that could command clouds and kick arse.
For them, the appeal was all about the hammed-up act, kitsch special effects and sick martial arts moves “thats been” easy to DIY at home. Just grab the nearest stick and start threatening your siblings into a duel, children!
Fun fact: Monkey was not only translated into English. It likewise got Spanish and Zulu versions. Yep. It reached going beyond Asia being screened in Europe, Africa and South America, as well as Down Under.
Instead of Japanese performers like the ‘7 0s version, the reboot features a cast of Australian and Kiwi talent of mixed heritage, including comedian Josh Thomson as Pigsy( whose original incarnation was a borderline sexuality pest TBH) and Thai-Australian actor Chai Hansen as Monkey.
Monkey Magic is making a comeback. Now if we could just go back to those cushy 9 to 3 school hours too. https :// t.co/ rFDzNbVnEa @newscomauHQ
Wenlei Ma (@ WenleiMa) April 20, 2017
Reactions to the news are mixed. Devotees are either aroused, bothered that literally everything should still be redo, or dismayed that the series doesn’t feature a more diverse cast of East Asian-Australian talent.
Dont remake Monkey Magic, just replay the series. You cant improve on perfection! #MonkeyMagic pic.twitter.com/ FQAB3PMsOJ
Mike Hauser (@ Hauser_Mike) April 20, 2017
So uhhh the Monkey Magic remake appears to not have any Asian actors in the main cast ???
Chris O’Regan (@ chrisjoregan) April 20, 2017
& I just heard they’re remaking Monkey Magic. Is nothing sacred?
AJ (@ ajsmith2 369) April 20, 2017
Ok. Im onna #MonkeyMagic devotee spam. The next 3 tweets are dedicated to the one and only Monkey King!
The gif is Pigsy btw pic.twitter.com/ 2lziyV7NFhKristo (@ crwright7 8) April 20, 2017
We’ll have to wait and see if the reboot is as~ magic~ as the original. Who knows, maybe we’ll have another 20 years ofdaily Monkey recurs ahead of us?
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