Wong Kar-wai Sets ‘Blossoms Shanghai’ as His First TV Series

Iconic auteur director, Wong Kar-wai has finally confirmed “Blossoms Shanghai” will be his first dive into dramatic TV series production.

An adaptation of Jin Yucheng’s multi-award-winning Shanghai-set novel, “Blossoms,” the series also marks a return for Wong to his birthplace. Although he is associated with the free-wheeling Hong Kong film industry, Wong was born in Shanghai and studied in the Chinese commercial capital.

Wong is set as series producer and director of the pilot episode. Jet Tone (Xiangshan), a branch of Wong’s Jet Tone Films, will produce the series, with his related company Block 2 Distribution handling international sales. Tencent Penguin Pictures has acquired the rights for China, making it likely that the show will be released through the Tencent Video streaming platform.

The adaptation is written by award-winning Shanghainese screenwriter, Qin Wen. Production, entirely in Shanghai, will involve Wong partnering with Academy Award-winning cinematographer, Peter Pau (“Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” “Forbidden Kingdom”). The cast will be headed by major Chinese star and Shanghai native, Hu Ge “The Wild Goose Lake,” “The Climbers”).

In a tale of journey and reinvention, Hu portrays a young opportunist with a troubled past, as he ventures to the gilded city of Shanghai. “Set against the backdrop of massive economic growth in 1990s Shanghai, the series unveils the glamour that follows his dazzling wealth and his entanglement with four fabulous women that represent the pursuits of his life: adventure, honor, love and innocence,” said Jet Tone.

“Jin Yucheng’s landmark novel ‘Blossoms’ has been the perfect backdrop to visualize and share my love for my birth city,” said Wong in a prepared statement. “With the series, I would like to invite the audience to immerse in the intrigues of Shanghai and its inhabitants in the early 1990s, an exciting time that paved the way for the prosperity of modern Shanghai.”