A picture of movie The Monkey King published by its producer Filmko Pictures.

A US$57-million fantasy movie, The Monkey King (Da Nao Tian Gong) has announced that Cecilia Cheung, Gigi Leung and Kelly Chen will join its star-laden cast.

The film, directed by Pou-Soi Cheang, tells a fairy tale story based on a classic chapter from the ancient Chinese novel, Journey to the West (Xi You Ji).

After filming started on October 8, the producer Filmko Pictures announced the first group of cast members. Hong Kong action star Donnie Yen and Aaron Kwok take the roles of Monkey King (Sun Wukong) and Bull Demon King (Niu Mo Wang). Veteran actor Chow Yun-Fat stars as the Jade Emperor of Heaven (Yu Di).

Other stars joining the film include Taiwan actors Peter Ho and Joe Chen, and mainland actor Liu Ye.

The Monkey King is based on the earliest chapters of Journey to the West. It portrays hundreds of gods and goddesses living in heaven, telling readers a basic structure of the upper world.

The film will be Cecilia Cheung's fourth big-screen work since she launched her comeback career.