Xtinew:

Thank you for the update. Make sense, I think the frustration also coming from the actors and production team because things has been delayed for the longest time. 2025 is another full 2 years and 10 months to go...

Are we that patience waiting or we move on to something else going on...by the year of 2025 we might have lost the excitement.

I know….it has been a hard waiting journey. I mainly blame the production team for delaying it this long and stringing our ML along by giving him false start dates. It doesn’t help our screenwriter has been given multiple drama projects which also delayed the time he took to finish the script which is already really hard to write given all the censorship rules. And nobody predicted the COVID pandemic and all that it caused whether it be delays in filming or casting or even moving preparations along. 

What has helped me stay motivated and excited, besides reading the novel and now re reading it with my family via audiobook while looking at the book (so I know what is coming is going to be very good) is just the remaining actors who have not dropped this project completely and called it quits. I am grateful that our male lead, who has been waiting longer than we have (since we started waiting after JOL1 finished airing Jan 15, 2020 but he started waiting after filming finished on July 22, 2018 so he has been waiting for 4 years and 6 months) has committed himself to finishing this drama and leaving his availability wide open all these months/years despite being lied to. This has had a great impact on his career given he has not taken on so many drama projects because of keeping his availability open. These are ZRY prime years and for it to go to waste like that, I am sad but also touched and grateful he still remains committed. I am also grateful of any JOL1 cast member who will return to JOL2 and 3. Not only has the wait been long, but the greatest challenge is how do these actors and actresses get into character when its been over 4 years since they have done so.  This challenge itself has been daunting less alone the pressure to do well given how high fans have been anticipatin. So to be committed knowing all of this is inspiring and has helped me stay engaged all this time. 

Being a JOL fan=Pain  😩😩😩 The writer and producers really need to pay the cast more especially ZRY for keeping his end of the bargain and freeing up his schedule. I'll still be waiting because honestly it's one of the best dramas ive ever seen and I want to see it to the end. 

ZRY is a class act and deserves our support. If the drama airs in 2030, I still will have the popcorn ready! 

I think we shouldn't blame for those who dropped out, with misinform and postponing schedule so many times, they need to move on with other offers. I know like some actors, they had good start from JOL so I don't think they're intentionally abandon JOL. Postponed because of the Covig, scrips, schedules, etc. But when time flies; the actors getting older, thinning excitement, and changes in drives. I read the novel too but visual has different attraction....keep our finger cross. Meanwhile we're keep getting a lot of lousy dramas.......sigh. 

 Xtinew:

I think we shouldn't blame for those who dropped out, with misinform and postponing schedule so many times, they need to move on with other offers. I know like some actors, they had good start from JOL so I don't think they're intentionally abandon JOL. Postponed because of the Covig, scrips, schedules, etc. But when time flies; the actors getting older, thinning excitement, and changes in drives. I read the novel too but visual has different attraction....keep our finger cross. Meanwhile we're keep getting a lot of lousy dramas.......sigh. 

Most definitely. I don’t blame the actors or actresses who moved on for sure. It is unrealistic to think anyone would professionally delay their time to take on another film just to wait for JOL. It’s truly unfair to do so and I know it is very hard to keep being motivated to continue with a character after so much time has passed. So definitely wouldn’t blame anyone for doing so. It is perhaps because I know how hard it is to stay committed to a drama after so much time has passed (on top of being lied to) that I am extra grateful for ZRY and those who will be returning but still could never  blame those who don’t for the exact same reason.. 

I just finished binge-watching season 1 and enjoyed it so much. Went through this thread and I feel frustrated for the cast, production team, and also the fans. To have this postponed for so long, it must have been tough for all of them. Especially those who have kept their schedules available but ended up no being able to start filming. Hope everything goes smoothly for JOL and they can finally begin filming and wrap up production successfully, and also get approved and get aired as soon as possible. With season 1 being so good, I'm sure by the time season 2 finally gets to see the light of day, JOL would've gained even more fans. Because they've at least gained one more now. Though, I'm bummed too that Chen Daoming wouldn't be reprising his role. I really like him as the emperor. 

Lastly, thank you sjadvocate for the updates! Really appreciate it.

Huh… seriously Chen DaoMing is being replaced?? I think he carries as much weight as the ML…. This is disappointing….

 Anoif:

Huh… seriously Chen DaoMing is being replaced?? I think he carries as much weight as the ML…. Thus is disappointin….

I agreed with you!

He’s so good though… and I read like summaries of the JoL novel. It’s a complex role…. Like they will need a very multi-dimensional actor…. Whyyyyy… sighs. sad. 

If anyone is interested, I just saw this article on Reddit. Don’t know how true it is.

Well....that's it! I hope it was all fake news, Guo QiLin may not a household name but his character was really good although in the novel - he won't contribute much in the story. I don't know if he'll have another project but JOL was his breakthrough drama. 

I believe he is owns his own agency so if his agency is making bad decisions, it really means he is making bad decisions for himself.

There is no end about bad news... I think Tencent lost interest with this drama, sadly.

I wouldn’t think so. They leave a multi year profit guarantee to the production studio of 500mm rmb a year to cover making this drama. Since they got to pay for it no matter what they are for sure going to make it.

I hope so but still, there are fewer and fewer Wuxia dramas worth watch these days and the quality also is lower than before... they only do Historical xianxia or Modern dramas, High quality Historical (real) Wuxia dramas are dying... T_T