Jackie Chang, Bruce Lee and Jet Lee may soon return to the global screen in a digitally revived form.
At the 27th Shanghai International Film Festival, the China Film Foundation and partners launched two major AI-led initiatives under the Kung Fu Film Heritage Project. A massive effort to recover 100 classic martial arts films using artificial intelligence, and the announcement of a brand new animation feature, “Better Tomorrow: Cyber Border.”
The restoration project aims to use AI to improve images, sound and overall production quality while maintaining original storytelling and aesthetics. The organizers described it as a long-term commitment to revive the cultural and cinematic heritage of Chinese martial arts cinema.
“From Bruce Lee to Jackie Chan, from 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' to 'Wolf Warrior', these films show the vitality and spirit of the Chinese people in the world,” said Zhang Qilin, chairman of the Chinese Film Foundation. “They're calling cards like our movie.”
Titles set for AI repair include “Fist of Fury,” “The Big Boss,” “Oncion on A Time in China,” and “Drunken Master.” Tian Ming of Canxing Media Chair confirmed that 10 of the 100 films prioritized in the first phase of development, with RMB100 million ($13.9 million) being allocated to support the effort.
“The eyes are brushes, but creativity is the soul,” Tian said. “The classic kung fu film embodies the spiritual backbone of China. We invite global partners to take part in this cultural and technical reboot.”
Separately, the event also featured the premiere of “A Better Tomorrow: Cyber Border,” a reinterpretation of John Woo Crime Classic's cyberpunk production by Quantum Animation. The film was created using a full stack AI pipeline that covers everything from scripting and modeling to animation and rendering.
“The entire animation feature was made by just 30 people,” said producer Zhang Qing. “AI has broken down barriers to creativity and execution. The production cycle has gone from years to months.”
As the world's first fully produced animation feature, “Cyber Border” was presented as a proof of concept for the future of Chinese genre storytelling. It combines martial arts, futuristic aesthetics, and new modes of production. Zhang has also urged Chinese creators to extend their IP to interactive forms such as globally competitive fighting games, beyond traditional formats.
“Why is it that the world's biggest fighting game borrowing Chinese movements, not Chinese?” he asked. “We need to build our next street fighter from our own IPS, like Wong Fei-Hung and Nezha.”
Regulatory support for both initiatives was highlighted throughout the event. The National Radio and Television Administration Research Center cited recent AI-related policy measures, including the 2023 interim measures for the management of generation AI services and the 2025 labeling rules for AI-generated content, as essential to supporting the sound development of AI in the media sector.
“AI is not a tool, it's a new infrastructure,” he said. “It's transforming scripts, effects, dubbing, distribution. AI is already the norm in short films and microdramas.”
Shanghai's newly established Industrial and Semester Research Center will participate in similar bases in Xi'an, Wuhan and Xiamen, serving as an important hub for talent training and experimentation. Guizhou's National Render Farms said it reduced the processing time for visual effects from over 400 days to 24 hours.
The launch event ended with respect for industry veterans, including action star Yu Rongguang, screenwriter Zhang Tan and producer Yuan Hong.
“I spent 40 years doing nothing but kung fu movies,” said the old. “If strength remains, I will devote myself to this plan.”
Zhang Tan added: “Kung Fu films are about growth, spirit and dignity. AI doesn't erase the past.
