Jackie Chan, Bruce Lee, and Jet Li may soon return to global screens in digitally resurrected form.
At the 27th Shanghai International Film Festival, the China Film Foundation and partners launched two major AI-driven initiatives under the Kung Fu Film Heritage Project: a large-scale effort to restore 100 classic martial arts films using artificial intelligence, and the unveiling of a brand-new animated feature, “A Better Tomorrow: Cyber Border,” billed as the world’s first fully AI-produced animated feature film.
The restoration project aims to digitally remaster 100 landmark kung fu films, using AI to enhance image, sound, and overall production quality while preserving the storytelling and aesthetic of the originals. Organizers described it as a long-term commitment to reviving the cultural and cinematic legacy of Chinese martial arts cinema.
“From Bruce Lee to Jackie Chan, from ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’ to ‘Wolf Warrior,’ these films have shown the world the vitality and spirit of the Chinese people,” said China Film Foundation chair Zhang Qilin. “They are our cinematic calling cards to the world.”
Titles set for AI restoration include “Fist of Fury,” “The Big Boss,” “Once Upon a Time in China,” and “Drunken Master,” among others. Canxing Media chair Tian Ming confirmed that ten of the 100 films will be prioritized in the first phase of development, with RMB100 million ($13.9 million) allocated to support the effort.
“AI is the brush, but creativity is the soul,” Tian said. “Classic kung fu films embody China’s spiritual backbone. We’re inviting global partners to join this cultural and technological reboot.”
Separately, the event also featured the premiere of “A Better Tomorrow: Cyber Border,” a cyberpunk reinterpretation of the John Woo crime classic, produced by Quantum Animation. The film was created using a full-stack AI pipeline, covering everything from scripting and modeling to animation and rendering.
“This entire animated feature was made by just 30 people,” said producer Zhang Qing. “AI has collapsed the barrier between creativity and execution. The production cycle has gone from years to months.”
Billed as the world’s first fully AI-produced animated feature, “Cyber Border” was presented as a proof-of-concept for the future of Chinese genre storytelling — combining martial arts, futuristic aesthetics, and new modes of production. Zhang also urged Chinese creators to move beyond traditional formats and expand IP into interactive forms such as globally competitive fighting games.
“Why are the world’s biggest fighting games not Chinese, when they all borrow Chinese moves?” he asked. “We need to build the next Street Fighter from our own IPs like Wong Fei-hung and Nezha.”
Regulatory support for both initiatives was emphasized throughout the event. He Tao, of the National Radio and Television Administration’s research center, cited recent AI-related policy measures — including the 2023 Interim Measures for the Management of Generative AI Services and the 2025 labeling rules for AI-generated content — as essential to supporting healthy development of AI in the media sector.
“AI is not a tool—it is a new infrastructure,” He said. “It’s transforming screenwriting, effects, dubbing, and distribution. In short films and micro-dramas, AI has already become standard.”
A newly established Industry-Academia-Research Center in Shanghai will serve as a key hub for talent training and experimentation, joining similar bases in Xi’an, Wuhan, and Xiamen. National render farms in Guizhou, officials said, have cut visual effects processing time from more than 400 days to 24 hours.
The launch event concluded with tributes to industry veterans including action star Yu Rongguang, screenwriter Zhang Tan, and producer Yuan Hong, all honored as contributors to the broader project.
“I’ve spent 40 years doing nothing but kung fu films,” Yuan said. “If I have any strength left, I’ll dedicate it to this plan.”
Zhang Tan added: “Kung fu films are about growth, spirit, and dignity. With AI, we’re not erasing the past— we’re giving it a second wind.”
