GKIDS Picks Up Chinese Feature ‘New Gods: Yang Jian’ For North America

GKIDS has acquired North American distribution rights to Ji Zhao’s New Gods: Yang Jian, the latest feature from China’s Light Chaser Animation, the studio behind 2021’s New Gods: Nezha Reborn and the White Snake franchise.

GKIDS will release both the original-language Mandarin version and a new English dub in theaters early next year.

The second installment in the New Gods series, Yang Jian enjoyed a healthy domestic debut last weekend in China, overpowering the Chinese launch of Minions: The Rise of Gru.

“Light Chaser Animation is one of the most exciting cg studios working today, and we are thrilled to continue our relationship on their newest film New Gods: Yang Jian,” GKIDS president David Jesteadt said in a statement. “The film drips with style, bringing a unique and action-packed spin on a classic Chinese story.”

GKIDS previously picked up distribution rights to Light Chaser’s White Snake.

The New Gods franchise is a series of action-fantasy epics inspired by Chinese mythological figures. Here is the latest film’s official synopsis:

Thirteen years after Yang Jian (known to some as Erlang Shen) imprisoned his sister beneath a mountain, the once powerful god now scrapes by as a penniless bounty hunter. When a mysterious woman hires him for a new job, Yang Jian soon finds himself chasing down a familiar figure. He must stop Chenxiang, his long-lost nephew, who is in search of the magical lotus lantern that will free his mother, even if it will bring catastrophe. As Yang Jian confronts the actions of his past, he must face a host of dangerous vigilantes seeking the same treasure with the power to alter the balance of their worlds.