Lawrence Wong, Qi Yuwu begin filming iQiyi fantasy The Ferryman remake
SINGAPORE — Filming began on Tuesday (28 July) for The Ferryman: Legends Of Nanyang, a fantasy series that will eventually be released on streaming service iQiyi.
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 series stars Singaporean actor Lawrence Wong, Singapore-based Chinese actor Qi Yu Wu, and Taiwanese actress Kate Kinney. (Lawrence Wong may be known to Chinese viewers as Wang Guan Yi.)
The Ferryman is about a man Xia Dongqing (Wong), who is able to see ghosts and spirits. He meets Zhao Li (Qi) and a young woman Olivia (Kinney) when he begins working at a convenience store. Xia eventually finds out that Zhao, the store owner, is a grim reaper who guides the deceased to the afterlife, and the convenience store is a gateway between the dimensions of the mortal world and the netherworld.
Yahoo Lifestyle SEA had a chat with the three main stars of The Ferryman, Wong, Qi and Kinney.
Wong shot to fame for his role in popular hit drama Story Of Yanxi Palace. He said this is his first time playing a supernatural role. “Among the three of us, I’m the only one who watches horror films. I’m excited to work on this project. It’s not just horror but also includes topics of romance, friendship and human relationships.”
As filming is taking place during the coronavirus outbreak, Wong said the cast and crew would practise anti-COVID-19 measures including safe distancing, wearing masks and temperature screening.
Qi said, “It’s great for the show to reach a bigger international audience through iQiyi. I’m sure there will be differences in this series from the original drama... but we just started the shoot so I can’t say exactly how the show will depart from the original.”
Kinney said, “I’m glad to be able to come to Malaysia to film. I’m grateful that I have Guan Yi-ge, a local, who can bring us around to see the sights.” (Wong is Malaysia-born.)
Several other Singaporean actors feature in the cast, including Tay Ping Hui, Jeanette Aw, Michelle Chia, Terence Cao, Fiona Xie and Jessica Liu.
Other cast members include Debbie Goh, Goh Jojo and Cindy Yen.
The show is being produced by Singapore-based GHY Culture & Media, with Guo Jingyu as executive producer. The producer is Yeo Saik Pin and the directors are Chia Men Yiang, Guo Shi Min, Fok Chi Kai and Chen Yi You, working from a script by Xiao Ji Xiang Tian.
Filming will take place at the Iskandar Malaysia Studios in Johor Bahru and locations around Malaysia.
The Ferryman: Legends Of Nanyang will be released on iQiyi in 2021.
