Imagine Entertainment, CalFilms Asia and Sixty Percent Productions have partnered to co-finance and co-produce “Taiwan Crime Stories,” a Chinese-language anthology series inspired by real criminal cases from Taiwan.
Four pairs of writers and directors will deliver stories that are each told over three episodes, for a total of 12 episodes, set at 60 minutes or longer.
Confirmed writers and directors include: Liu Tsun-Han (“What Love Has Taught Us”); Golden Horse-nominated director Hung Tzu-Hsuan (“The Scoundrel”), Golden Bell nominated writer and director, Liang Shu-Ting; and Jimmy Hsu Jiu-Liang (“The Victim’s Game”).
“When I was researching materials for the series, I discovered many crimes in Taiwan that were left unsolved. I have always wondered about the motivations that led to these tragic decisions,” said Benjamin Lin, CEO, CalFilms Asia, a Taiwan-based producer and project manager.
Narratives are told through the eyes of Taiwanese characters, where commitment to Confucian values comes into conflict with desires. The stories probe the motives behind crimes, while also exploring themes of faith, temptation, redemption and obligation.
The series was awarded a grant from the Taiwan Ministry of Culture and is targeted to go into production this summer. The producers are targeting global distribution deal through a major streamer, but say that they are also open to the involvement of a local broadcaster from Taiwan.
“Crime drama has always been the cornerstone of premium content globally, and it has long been my goal to create world class crime drama series with stories and talents from Asia,” said Yim, the series’ producer. With Kit Low, she is co-founder of Hong Kong-based development and production house Sixty Percent. She was previously SVP at Fox Networks Group in Asia and initiated series productions including “Stained” and “Trading Floor.”
“With ‘Taiwan Crime Stories,’ we are thrilled to work with our partners to deconstruct unsolved crimes and create a compelling series that will appeal to audiences worldwide,” said Janice Chua, VP of Imagine International.
Founded by Ron Howard and Brian Grazer some 35 years ago, Imagine is now a film and TV powerhouse. Its current television projects in production include “Genius: Aretha” for (National Geographic); “Wu-Tang: An American Saga” for Hulu, and “Swagger” for Apple.
