Hong Kong director Peter Chan is bringing a household mythological ghost-slayer to the silver screen.

A poster of Peter Chan's upcoming film "Jung Ku - The Man from 18th Hell".

"Jung Ku - The Man from 18th Hell", a fantasy adventure to be directed by Chan, is among the four projects that the filmmaker's company, Cinema Popular, is set to complete next year.

Representatives of the company announced the new projects at the just opened Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, where filmmakers from around the globe are looking for new opportunities.

"Jung Ku", with a budget of over US$15 million, is set in a time when humans lived alongside gods and demons. The title character is inspired by Zhong Kui, a well-known figure in Chinese mythology, who slays ghosts and demons to protect mankind.

Foreign media are calling the film "China's first superhero movie."

Peter Chan will also produce "The Flying Guillotines", to be directed by Dante Lam. The other two films are serial-killer thriller "Queen's Road Ripper", and "The God of Wealth", a light-hearted urban drama set against the backdrop of the global financial crisis.

Chan co-founded Cinema Popular with Chinese mainland director Huang Jianxin in February. The company's first film, "Bodyguards and Assassins", is being shot in Shanghai with a heavyweight cast that includes Donnie Yen, Leon Lai, Nicholas Tse, Eric Tsang and Hu Jun.

(CRI May 14, 2009)