A slate of East Asian content is coming to Disney+ over the next year, starting with a series adaptation of the recently released film Anita, according to Variety.
Disney, Via Variety
What’s Happening:
- Recently, a biopic of the actor and Cantopop singing star Anita Mui, Anita, was released, and a new series adaptation of the film is only the first project in a slate of East Asian content set to debut on Disney+ this year.
- Back in October, it was reported that Disney+ would be receiving a slew of content in the Asia Pacific market, naming numerous titles at the time, though the series adaptation of Anita was not on that list.
- Anita was released commercially in Hong Kong, becoming the biggest local film of the year and the second biggest at the Hong Kong box office. It was also released in Mainland China where it performed well. The series, Anita (Director’s Cut), is composed of five 45 minute episodes and is set to debut on February 2nd, 2022.
- Other series set to debut in the Asian Pacific market on Disney+ Include:
- King of Savvy – A crime action drama about a casino king who is taking risks and trying to get back into the game. The cast includes Choi Min-sik (Old Boy) and is directed by The Outlaws director Kang Yoon-sung.
- A Lifelong Journey – a Chinese language drama series adapted from a novel with the same name that won the 2019 Mao Dun Literature Prize that tells the story of a Chinese blue-collar worker and his family, and the many societal changes they experience across different generations. The series is set to star Lei Jia-Yin and Song Jia.
- Taiwan Crime Stories is an original psychological thriller series in the Mandarin language that is already in production with filming that started last November. Inspired by four true-crime investigations, (a terror-stricken mass murder of a family; a chilling rape; a murder case and fraud and injustice cases) the 12-part series is co-produced by Calfilms (Taiwan), Sixty Percent Productions (Hong Kong), and the U.S.’s Imagine Entertainment in an international collaboration. The exclusive series stars Rhydian Vaughan, Patrick Shih, Simon Hsueh, Allison Lin, Frederick Lee, and Wang Po-Chieh.
- The new APAC titles are subject to local availability, and will be available on the streaming service over the next year, according to Disney+. The projects are a part of the company’s goal to produce local language content and greenlight over 50 Asia-Pacific originals by 2023.
What They’re Saying:
- Jessica Kam-Engle, Disney’s APAC head of content & development: “There is tremendous appetite globally for high quality Asian content and original stories with great cultural resonance. We will continue investing in the best content and collaborating with the most sought-after creative talent and storytellers in the region so they can shine on the world stage.”
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