Kris Wu as Tang Seng. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Stephen Chow recently has been defending his selection of Kris Wu as the star of the upcoming fantasy Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons 2.

The feature will open across Chinese theaters on the first day of Spring Festival, Jan 28.

A promotional event for the sequel of 2013's highest-grossing film featured the release of the new film's theme song, Guai Guai (Behaved), on Dec 20 in Beijing. The song is sung by Wu and veteran singer Tan Jing.

Wu, a popular singer and actor, is a heartthrob to numerous female fans but also criticized by some commentators on his emotionless performance.

Chow, an iconic Hong Kong filmmaker, says Wu matches his vision of Tang Seng, the Buddhist monk protagonist in the film.

Cast?members pose for a photo. [Photo provided to China Daily]

"I can imagine a hair-shaved Wu is definitely the person that I want for Tang Seng. He should be pure, and also be smart. And there should be a big difference between what he looks like and what he is. Wu meets the demands in every aspect," says Chow.

The film also stars Lin Gengxin, Yao Chen, Lin Yun, Bao Bei'er and Wang Likun.

While the first Journey to the West film was directed by Chow, the forthcoming sequel moves the directorial job to Tsui Hark. Chow will produce the film.

In earlier interviews, Chow explained that Hark has a longtime dream to shoot a film adapted from the 16th-century novel Journey to the West, so Chow is passing the director's role to Hark.

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