iQiyi fantasy The Ferryman, starring Lawrence Wong and Qi Yu Wu, to premiere on 24 August
iQiyi, which released the wildly popular drama Story Of Yanxi Palace a few years ago, is known as the "Netflix of China", and it has been trying to expand its market outside of China.
The streaming platform will release its first Southeast Asian original series The Ferryman: Legends Of Nanyang, which stars Lawrence Wong, Qi Yu Wu and Kate Kinney, on the iQiyi International app and iQ.com on 24 August.
The Ferryman is a remake of iQiyi’s 2014 Mandarin language series of the same title, but with the setting changed to Southeast Asia instead of China – hence “Legends Of Nanyang” – and featuring an international cast.
The 36-episode series follows Xia Dong Qing (Lawrence Wong), a convenience store worker who can see supernatural beings because of his “Yin Yang eyes”.
Lawrence Wong also starred in Story Of Yanxi Palace:
After working as a part-time assistant at No. 444 convenience store, Dong Qing discovers that his special ability was bestowed upon him by Zhao Li, a grim reaper patrolling the mortal world with a hidden agenda. The convenience store also turns out to be the nexus between the mortal realm and the spiritual one, where deceased souls pass through upon death.
Along with Zhao Li, Dong Qing communicates with and helps distressed, wandering souls in the mortal world. (Check out our interview with the cast here.)
Here's a trailer for The Ferryman:
Available in 4K resolution, The Ferryman: Legends Of Nanyang will feature ghosts and spirits from a range of folklore and myths such as the ghost bride, a beauty-obsessed and power-hungry nine-tailed fox, and a two-horned devil played by Tay Ping Hui.
Several other Singaporean actors feature in the cast, including Jeanette Aw, Michelle Chia, Terence Cao, Fiona Xie and Jessica Liu.
Other cast members include Malaysian actresses Debbie Goh and Goh Jojo.
Here are some shots from The Ferryman:
Produced by Singapore-based GHY Culture & Media, The Ferryman was filmed at Iskandar Malaysia Studios in Johor Bahru and locations around Malaysia.
iQiyi International’s VIP subscribers with compatible devices will be able to enjoy an upgraded audio experience, as The Ferryman: Legends Of Nanyang is iQiyi's first original series to be available in Dolby Atmos.
Non-subscribers can catch two episodes for free on the iQiyi International app and iQ.com upon the 24 August premiere, while VIP members can access up to eight episodes. Subsequently, two new episodes will be released every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at 8pm (SGT).
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