Lionsgate announced today that principal photography on the action epic The Forbidden Kingdom will begin on May 2 in China. Directed by Rob Minkoff, the film marks the first-ever onscreen pairing of martial arts superstars Jackie Chan and Jet Li. The original screenplay by John Fusco is based on the traditional Chinese legend of the Monkey King.

An American teenager who is obsessed with Hong Kong cinema and Kung-Fu classics makes an extraordinary discovery in a Chinatown pawnshop: the legendary stick weapon of the Chinese sage and warrior, the Monkey King. With the lost relic in hand, the teenager unexpectedly finds himself traveling back to ancient China to join a crew of warriors from martial arts lore on a dangerous quest to free the imprisoned Monkey King.

Lionsgate plans a U.S. theatrical release in Summer 2008 and will co-release the film with The Weinstein Company.