Youku has it marked for 2024, we will know more after the conference. It's certainly possible. The really long post-production times are for CGI heavy dramas and this one isn't it.
Of course, with China, the licensing process is always potentially problematic but if the drama ends up on CCTV, they expedite it. So it's plausible it can come towards the end of the year.
Actually we don't know that 🤷It's not a romance but a big male lead Machiavellian, revenge drama. They do have…
You must have mixed me up with someone because I never said there is no romance, on the contrary. There is a romance line.
But it's not the genre of this drama. This is a revenge drama that is focused on Zanghai and his quest. So all I have been saying is that expecting plenty of romance is only going to raise expectations for what isn't there. There is a script available, yes and no, it's not a romance focused drama. It's best to manage expectations and there will be no disappointment later on.
I will post here too. So rumors are that ZHZ is expected to wrap up on May 25th.
The pre-production and location set up of the next movie is happening but there's no real date to the start. They are in a hurry though because the anniversary is next year so everything points to July.
Xiao Zhan will also be doing at least some of the road shows for LOCH. There are some dates flying around Chinese net but nothing there is certain (apart from it being this summer).
Friendly reminder a that this drama belongs to whoever is working on it, including those behind the cameras and…
Nobody should argue about anything, discussion is good though and leads exist for a reason. I love a good discussion and this is a discussion board, so for the fun of it, while we wait for Youku's conference, I am more than happy to have it. To start, yes, the whole crew is behind this drama and they all contribute. From the smallest role to the lead, from the people moving around props to the director. And no, the contributions are not the same. One can value the hard work everyone puts in and be aware of the various degrees that exist.
The discussion about leads and support has its own points, especially to fans who follow the actors' careers because choosing a role has consequences. They (fans) usually talk about the money that is being paid to the leads and of course that matters. First billed actors are not only highest paid but the monetary gain carries over, and often increases, to the next projects. That's not actually the most important part at all, it is both the initial investment and assembling the configuration of the drama as well as the other, long term, consequences of the broadcast.
In that sense, this is Zheng Xiaolong and Xiao Zhan's drama, it "belongs" to them. They are the primary two people responsible for it. They are the main "attractions" here, the director and the lead actor, who have brought in the investment, monetary and otherwise, for ZHZ; the two pillars around which this drama's configuration was made. In China, if it flops, it is going to be their and solely their responsibility for the failure. If it does just decently, no difference; at this level it amounts to the same. It is a big responsibility because these two people primarily attracted the investment here and there is very big money and reputation in play in Zanghai. This is not an idol drama, it's high configuration, high investment and lots of people are watching. If the drama is a hit of course everybody gets to eat at the table and for this drama it's going to be a ten course meal if it works out.
This is where it gets tricky. That sounds very good so why then are so many actors not interested in secondary roles (vanity refusals aside)? For example, when Zhang Jingyi was cast, as she is already playing leading roles, her fans spent a lot of time discussing whether this role is something that she should have taken. If it was a waste of her time when she had different options where she would have been the lead. So what's the trouble?
It's because if this does well and if there is a success in terms of the award circuit, in China the primary beneficiaries are Zheng Xiaolong and Xiao Zhan. That's it. All major follow up resources and the biggest reputation boost will go to them (not that ZXL needs it but even for him, especially as he is getting on in years another signature drama is great).
So actors like Zhang Jingyi have to weigh the pros and cons. On one side, all the hype that comes with this leader duo and the potential prestige of the drama and on the other, that while obviously she will benefit from it all if they all do their job well, technically, it's not the same as if she were primary lead in terms of follow up. Plus nobody can guarantee that it will actually be a success. The real question then is do these, on the surface, smaller benefits that might happen actually outweigh what she could achieve as a main lead elsewhere, at this particular moment in her career.
IMO yes, the benefits far outweigh the cons here and that her own, very influential agency, pushed for her role here is making it pretty obvious they think the same because if it all works out, at this point in her career, these smaller benefits are only comparatively smaller. She cannot reach these heights on her own at the moment so yes, it pays to take this role (and a ton of actresses fought for it). The battle for ML2 was even more fierce, it was absolute slaughter. People with a good head on their shoulders understand that taking a smaller piece of this particular pie, long term, could very well end up looking as if they took the whole thing and more, comparatively.
So no, it's not pointless. It's even good to know if a fan wants to follow a career of an actor more thoroughly. ZJY fans didn't discuss this (and they still do) because they are vain but because it is a legitimate question and they wanted to think about the possible future consequences of this choice for her career.
Just like XZ fans are focused on his role here because the biggest responsibility when it comes to acting is his, especially as the hype for this drama is huge and it is only going to get bigger when his next project with Daylight and Kong Sheng is officially announced. Expectations for this are rising and therefore the stakes are rising. Of course, if it all works out, biggest pay off will be his too. And who doesn't want that for their favorite?
I wish everyone well and a good career in the future and hopefully this drama will indeed work out splendidly and everyone will benefit because the outcome will be the best possible one. That means that one day both Zhang Jingyi and even Zhou Qi may end up the leads of dramas like this, headed by directors like Zhang Xiaolong. It's a good place to be but also the huge responsibility that this brings will then be on their shoulders.
At the moment though, when talking about actors, this massive responsibility is on Xiao Zhan's shoulders so no, we are not going to erase that either. He is the sole lead actor of this project, with all the risks right now and absolutely the most to lose if things go wrong. He is also the one bringing in his current status which means the level of investors, attention and yes, quality.
This does not erase anyone else's contributions to the drama, not does it diminish them, it's simply acknowledging how things are. I am happy to have serious conversations about this, role choosing is so dicey and it can turn both ways so it can be a good discussion and I personally find it very interesting but what I am not interested in is bad faith arguments which this would be so please don't come at me with that (not you, generally speaking).
Anyone know when a youku conference will happen? I would like to see a trailer for this lol.
No date yet, possibly early/mid May. But don't count on a trailer, it's quite possible it won't happen. They are trying to keep a tight lid on this drama.
Actually we don't know that 🤷It's not a romance but a big male lead Machiavellian, revenge drama. They do have…
There are also plenty of people who highly dislike romance and won't watch anything with a major romantic line.
This drama is perfect for that section of the audience and it's important to promote to them too. So I agree, best to be factual so that everyone has the right expectations. I don't see why this is so suddenly so controversial but to each their own 🤷
Actually we don't know that 🤷It's not a romance but a big male lead Machiavellian, revenge drama. They do have…
We are simply going to have to disagree.
In my experience when it comes to watching dramas, saying that there is a lot of romance or that it's a romance drama is a sure fire way of setting off hate when that doesn't materialize.
I watch romance as a genre. People are very passionate about it. That's great, don't get me wrong, but great passion easily turns to great dislike. I have seen it many times, when there is less romance than what people thought and then the mood turns very sour. Go down the comments here and you will see many questions whether this is romance or has romance. As I said, people are passionate about it.
Also, there are people who dislike romance. Greatly. And if this entire page is covered with talk about romance then they will be turned off. To me, they are an equally important part of the audience.
I understand both romance lovers, those who dislike it, ZJY fans and I understand XZ fans who have been burnt many times before.
To avoid any and all misunderstandings, from my POV, it's much better to be as factual as possible right from the start.
If everyone is well meaning, they won't mind that.
3 
Others who posted about it
Youku twitter
https://twitter.com/YoukuOfficial/status/1790576055108911135
Youku Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/p/C6-RQCBPxLH/?igsh=dm1jd3o5bmtoanpq
Youku Weibo
https://weibo.com/1642904381/5034235341835056
Chunyu Film and Television
https://weibo.com/1642904381/5034235341835056
CCTV
https://weibo.com/2030112487/5034250511057412
https://weibo.com/6400913994/OemAgpRRc?pagetype=profilefeed
Xiao Zhan looks great in red, what can I say. Uploaded a few photos.
Of course, with China, the licensing process is always potentially problematic but if the drama ends up on CCTV, they expedite it. So it's plausible it can come towards the end of the year.
Maybe we will get some materials🤞
But it's not the genre of this drama. This is a revenge drama that is focused on Zanghai and his quest. So all I have been saying is that expecting plenty of romance is only going to raise expectations for what isn't there. There is a script available, yes and no, it's not a romance focused drama. It's best to manage expectations and there will be no disappointment later on.
The pre-production and location set up of the next movie is happening but there's no real date to the start. They are in a hurry though because the anniversary is next year so everything points to July.
Xiao Zhan will also be doing at least some of the road shows for LOCH. There are some dates flying around Chinese net but nothing there is certain (apart from it being this summer).
The discussion about leads and support has its own points, especially to fans who follow the actors' careers because choosing a role has consequences. They (fans) usually talk about the money that is being paid to the leads and of course that matters. First billed actors are not only highest paid but the monetary gain carries over, and often increases, to the next projects. That's not actually the most important part at all, it is both the initial investment and assembling the configuration of the drama as well as the other, long term, consequences of the broadcast.
In that sense, this is Zheng Xiaolong and Xiao Zhan's drama, it "belongs" to them. They are the primary two people responsible for it. They are the main "attractions" here, the director and the lead actor, who have brought in the investment, monetary and otherwise, for ZHZ; the two pillars around which this drama's configuration was made. In China, if it flops, it is going to be their and solely their responsibility for the failure. If it does just decently, no difference; at this level it amounts to the same. It is a big responsibility because these two people primarily attracted the investment here and there is very big money and reputation in play in Zanghai. This is not an idol drama, it's high configuration, high investment and lots of people are watching. If the drama is a hit of course everybody gets to eat at the table and for this drama it's going to be a ten course meal if it works out.
This is where it gets tricky. That sounds very good so why then are so many actors not interested in secondary roles (vanity refusals aside)? For example, when Zhang Jingyi was cast, as she is already playing leading roles, her fans spent a lot of time discussing whether this role is something that she should have taken. If it was a waste of her time when she had different options where she would have been the lead. So what's the trouble?
It's because if this does well and if there is a success in terms of the award circuit, in China the primary beneficiaries are Zheng Xiaolong and Xiao Zhan. That's it. All major follow up resources and the biggest reputation boost will go to them (not that ZXL needs it but even for him, especially as he is getting on in years another signature drama is great).
So actors like Zhang Jingyi have to weigh the pros and cons. On one side, all the hype that comes with this leader duo and the potential prestige of the drama and on the other, that while obviously she will benefit from it all if they all do their job well, technically, it's not the same as if she were primary lead in terms of follow up. Plus nobody can guarantee that it will actually be a success. The real question then is do these, on the surface, smaller benefits that might happen actually outweigh what she could achieve as a main lead elsewhere, at this particular moment in her career.
IMO yes, the benefits far outweigh the cons here and that her own, very influential agency, pushed for her role here is making it pretty obvious they think the same because if it all works out, at this point in her career, these smaller benefits are only comparatively smaller. She cannot reach these heights on her own at the moment so yes, it pays to take this role (and a ton of actresses fought for it). The battle for ML2 was even more fierce, it was absolute slaughter. People with a good head on their shoulders understand that taking a smaller piece of this particular pie, long term, could very well end up looking as if they took the whole thing and more, comparatively.
So no, it's not pointless. It's even good to know if a fan wants to follow a career of an actor more thoroughly. ZJY fans didn't discuss this (and they still do) because they are vain but because it is a legitimate question and they wanted to think about the possible future consequences of this choice for her career.
Just like XZ fans are focused on his role here because the biggest responsibility when it comes to acting is his, especially as the hype for this drama is huge and it is only going to get bigger when his next project with Daylight and Kong Sheng is officially announced. Expectations for this are rising and therefore the stakes are rising. Of course, if it all works out, biggest pay off will be his too. And who doesn't want that for their favorite?
I wish everyone well and a good career in the future and hopefully this drama will indeed work out splendidly and everyone will benefit because the outcome will be the best possible one. That means that one day both Zhang Jingyi and even Zhou Qi may end up the leads of dramas like this, headed by directors like Zhang Xiaolong. It's a good place to be but also the huge responsibility that this brings will then be on their shoulders.
At the moment though, when talking about actors, this massive responsibility is on Xiao Zhan's shoulders so no, we are not going to erase that either. He is the sole lead actor of this project, with all the risks right now and absolutely the most to lose if things go wrong. He is also the one bringing in his current status which means the level of investors, attention and yes, quality.
This does not erase anyone else's contributions to the drama, not does it diminish them, it's simply acknowledging how things are. I am happy to have serious conversations about this, role choosing is so dicey and it can turn both ways so it can be a good discussion and I personally find it very interesting but what I am not interested in is bad faith arguments which this would be so please don't come at me with that (not you, generally speaking).
This drama is perfect for that section of the audience and it's important to promote to them too. So I agree, best to be factual so that everyone has the right expectations. I don't see why this is so suddenly so controversial but to each their own 🤷
In my experience when it comes to watching dramas, saying that there is a lot of romance or that it's a romance drama is a sure fire way of setting off hate when that doesn't materialize.
I watch romance as a genre. People are very passionate about it. That's great, don't get me wrong, but great passion easily turns to great dislike. I have seen it many times, when there is less romance than what people thought and then the mood turns very sour. Go down the comments here and you will see many questions whether this is romance or has romance. As I said, people are passionate about it.
Also, there are people who dislike romance. Greatly. And if this entire page is covered with talk about romance then they will be turned off. To me, they are an equally important part of the audience.
I understand both romance lovers, those who dislike it, ZJY fans and I understand XZ fans who have been burnt many times before.
To avoid any and all misunderstandings, from my POV, it's much better to be as factual as possible right from the start.
If everyone is well meaning, they won't mind that.