High Profile and Big Budget Period C-drama Shi Jin Sees Male Lead Change Back from Yang Yang to Wu Lei After Earlier Flip
So this is a big C-drama that has been in talks and prep for over a year. Late in 2023 it was rumored that Wu Lei would be the male lead of period drama Shi Jin (什锦) adapted from the same name novel. Then a few weeks later there was buzz that the male lead had changed from Wu Lei to Yang Yang apparently after some behind-the-scenes jostling. Then it was all quiet on the eastern front with this drama for months but this week industry insiders are saying that Wu Lei is the male lead for sure and he gets to pick his own female lead. Pick well, young padawan Lei Lei haha, no I’m serious don’t go for looks over actual skill. With this casting gossip is also that Wu Lei turned down the C-drama adaptation of Sword Coming (剑来) to do Shi Jin.
So glad to see it is Wu Lei!!! I dont know who he will pick as his female lead..but I know who he will not pick…
Hmmmm…. who do you have in mind?
I will start another fanwar…This site have lots of them. 😂 best not say.
HL I know who you are referring to.. haha. And I’m glad he won’t be picking her cos I’m tired of her. Yeah mentioning that person will start a fanwar here LOL.
😂
LOL! I have a pretty good idea who you’re referring to! “She who shall remain nameless”
Wu Lei has an eye for picking good scripts and can act circles around Yang Yang so I’m glad he got this!
@HL, interesting! Anything so sensitive to talk about frankly? C’mon! Nobody knows who we are in real life. LOL. Could you be thinking about ZLS? Well, I didn’t spell out the name, just the acronym. LOL. But why? You piqued my gossipy curiosity. LOL.
He will explore new actress to work with. I dont think he will repeat with ZLS anytime soon. I dont think he wants fanwars takeover a drama..
I want her! I want her! 😆
Wu Lei >>>>>>>> Yang Yang. No offense to Yang Yang’s fans but the quality of acting would be much improved. That being said, a lot depends on the director, editor, screen writer, supporting cast and Female lead. Wonder who he’ll pick?
It is crazy but cdramas feels like watching a ping pong match. You can have a great actor but if the writing and directing is crap the actor than gets wasted in a bad project and vice versa. Can’t wait to see who he picks. Should be interesting. Fingers crossed that it is someone who can match up to his acting.
I agree, a good show must have everything aligned well, although there r exceptions where there is a missed in any part can still be watchable.
WL’s acting isn’t flawless though. He is great in Love Like the Galaxy. He is cringe worthy in Amidst a Snowstorm of Love though. I rarely finished C drama but I watched these two dramas from ep1 to the end, partially for the sake of WL. While he’s fantastic in LLTG, I would call a police if someone starred at me with creepy and intense gaze as he did to the girl in Amidst a Snowstorm though. LOL.
That being said, given that this is a costume drama, the writer wrote Joy of Life, and the director is the same one for LLTG, I have high hopes for this new drama of WL.
Agree I love yang yang, he is such an eye candy. He just has the perfect look for both modern and historical drama. Just a pity that his acting is not up to par…
Agree…Such a shame.
Wei Lu loves filming with jIjIs than MiMis LOL , so lets wait and see
Turned down Sword for this? Right.
Is Wu Lei really great at acting though? I saw him in 2 dramas (didn’t finish though) and my impression didn’t change. He was a bad actor. His acting seemed unnatural and forced? His bulging eyes every now and then didn’t help either. He just screamed bad actor who’s trying to portray himself as good actor to me. I tried rewatching his dramas to maybe change my opinion but it’s still the same. That’s why I really can’t understand why people say he’s good? I really thought it is obvious he’s not and people will agree with me? Is it just because he was a child actor?
Between Wu Lei and Yang Yang…I know who I prefer… Just speaking in the context of this drama and article.
Yes I won’t disagree on that. But all I’m saying is I really don’t see Wu Lei as an objectively good actor either. Everyone seems to think otherwise which I don’t understand. He is barely passable at best
He did well in a few dramas but if he has to play a strong or cold character he tends to just creepily stare 24/7, he has limited range but he gets positive reaction because he was a well known child star.
Someone finally mentioned his creepy stare. LOL. He just looked so awkward in Amidst a Snowstorm.
In my opinion, wu lei is great when it doesn’t involve romance. I like him in cross fire, but for that snowstorm drama? Nah. He did really came off as creepy
I don’t love him in romance, like that one with ZJM. But he was great in that revenge scene in LLTG in my opinion. No idea what this story is even about. But regardless, I think he is definitely an upgrade in the acting department. YY is more pleasing to the eyes for sure.
I really wish I can add some acting skill to his life stat, he has that perfect manhua look, as long as he can have some acting skills…
Same here. I loved him as a child actor but as a ML since the TLB I have found him lacking especially in romantic dramas when his acting gets too forced to the point of cringy. He wasn’t too bad in LLTG but I didn’t see the chemistry with ZLS that everyone was raving about. Maybe he needs to pick the right projects? I am about to watch his drama where he plays an athlete because he seems more authentic in that role. I feel he’s a bit over hyped. Maybe because he was this adored child star?
@Jana…I’m also like you in not understanding the raving about the chemistry between him and ZLS. They were sweet together because she has a natural charm about her that helps to carry him. Overall though, the reason I was into LLTG was the love triangle between the king, his queen, and his consort. I was so invested in their relationships!
I skipped all his scenes w Reba. They don’t have any chemistry at all. I like him but even I need to admit his acting range is limited. He’s acceptable when he has to play cold and nonchalant character like in LLTG. And he’s good in action scenes. But I think there’s not much difference between him and YY. It’s just YY try hard to look pretty all the time and greasy that makes him look so much worse actor
Yup I couldn’t see the chemistry at all that people were raving abt between him and ZLS in LLTG. He had none with reba as well in long ballad.
I feel he is just bad in romance, but has a natural onscreen charisma and presence that makes him stand out. Also, I feel he doesn’t have a very typical look favoured in cdramas and when I first saw him in LLTG and Long ballad – i thought he was mixed ethnicity. He is great though in anything involving intensity, larger than life scenes – like fight scenes in costume dramas, war, playing a general etc, and intense emotive stuff like dwelling in the west lake. He is also great in sports-themed stuff cos it suits his real life personality.
acting and looks wise still, I rather him over yang yang tho heh
He was great in Upcoming Summer, Dwelling by the west lake and Nothing but you. He is a good actor, it’s not just that people are fond of him because he’s a former child actor.
But I agree that even good actors need decent guidance by the director. And apparently he got shit guidance in Amidst a snowstorm of love – he was totally creepy in this one!
Omg yes! Someone finally speaks up about Wu Lei’s bad acting here! This site’s owner and most of the commenters here love his acting and I just never get it. I’ve quite a nostalgic affection for him due to Nirvana in Fire but even in that drama, I thought he was just serviceable as a child actor. He was very one note. Then I watched Love like the Galaxy and his acting didn’t improved much for me either. He has a certain stiffness to him that’s very awkward to me. He seems like a very nice young man tho so I’ve been wondering if commenters here just like him as a person so they’re very indulgent towards his acting skills or lack thereof.
It’s funny you mentioned ZLS. I thought they had great chemistry in LLTG. I felt like ZLS had more chemistry with WL in LLTG even just through their first encounter in the carriage (without seeing each other) than she did with YY in WRTW. I also accepted his stiffness in that role as a reflection of the fact that he’s a very strict general and has been like that all his life. But I realized opinions on acting and chemistry are actually quite subjective. Do not mean to undermine/disrespect your opinion at all. I do think he’s not great in the romance department though, maybe due to lack of real world experience? I never watched Nothing But You, but I heard good reviews on that one as well.
Probably that’s it. I heard that his mom forbids him to date, so with zero experience in dating, no wonder he can’t act in romance
On the contrary, I still blame Wu Lei for being the only blemish on the otherwise perfect Nirvana In Fire.
There are so many impressive child actors nowadays, any of them would have done better as a sidekick apprentice, I can only sigh at what could have been.
@Soph, I totally agree with you about LLTG. WL/ZLS in LLTG is among rare OTPs with strong chemistry in Cdrama I’ve watched. WL, however, had “bizarre” interaction with ZJM in Amidst a Snowstorm. I wasn’t impressed by him either in The Long Ballad. But I had hard time finishing any of Raba’s costume dramas. Raba, as the FL, perhaps contributed to my dislike of TLB and therefore WL became irrelevant. LOL
He is very spotty with romantic chemistry. The intense staring is creepy.
No, he is not a great actor. Not even close. I always laugh when people wax poetic about him because he has a very narrow range. It can be seen in that modern drama where he played just another Lin Buyi and of course it didn’t work. He came across as a creepy stalker.
He is still better than Yang Yang.
@Choochoo C-ent considers being natural at emoting non-romance scenes > being good at emoting romance scenes.
But I think he is not good in either though, that’s the issue. And I guess some people here agree with me after all
He’s not a good actor, but nostalgia and likeability propelled him to this status – and that coming from someone who enjoys seeing him on screen lmao
Me too… I like watch him on screen but is he a good actor? I have to say I have many moments I want to tell Wu Lei, “you dont want to be so tense when acting…drop your shoulder abit…let your face relax abit, whilst learning to speak thru your eyes- dont over intensify it, the effect will be comfortable for viewers.”
But my interest in Wu Lei is still supportive.
@HL, you mentioned his eyes. Sometimes he stared like deer in the headlights. LOL. That’s not romantic at all.
@Somebody
Agree with you, I think he has wrong impression on what’s called romantic gaze…
All depends on how the script matches the actor n how the directing goes. but this flip flap is actually very funny coz..yall know what it is
With Wu Lei, drama will be on my radar. Hopefully everything comes along well.
Have only completed YY’s drama Love 020 and that was ages ago. Couldnt get into some of his dramas that I’ve tried.
I guess movie world wasn’t doing it for WL??? I swear I read about him focusing only on movies a few months ago lol
That was before the flops he had.
is anyone else excited that the director is going to be fei zhen xiang? the same director of love like the galaxy? that was the last big budget cdrama that had my full attention
Director Fei’s directing this drama too?? I thought Wu Lei is already working with him in Dongji Island, not this new drama…
the poster above (last image) has fei zhen xiang listed as director, if you can read chinese 🙂
Yup! I noted that. Also the drama is adapted from a novel by the same author for Joy of Life. I’ll have high expectation over this drama given potential script writing and directing. Casting and acting flaws may be covered sometimes if both writing and directing are good.
Ohhh for Wu Lei – who was reportedly abandoning c-dramas to focus on movies – to choose it, it must be really good! I am excited about this! Can I read the novel somewhere? Can’t find it anywhere with English translation
Not fond of either one’s acting, but kudos to Wu Lei anyways! Both guys have different vibes that it’s weird that they were up for the same role. I’m really curious as to which actress will pick up the FL role.
I’m sorry but why would he get to pick the female lead? What are directors and casting directors here for then?
bc he is the most sought after male actor atm.
@Rea
He is the most sought after male actor only on your dreams.
Where do you stans get the confidence to utter things like these I will never know.
Whether or not he’s sought after, that’s just not fair and professional.
It is a joke? He can’t pick whomever he want even if he is a top actor. His heroine gonna be picked with whoever has more invested money in a drama, thats the way ent industry going, thats why theres lot nepo baby being leads here and there not because they are talented but their company/ agency put money more into the drama/ movie. Even top tier actor xiaozhan always paired with nepo baby, they definitely not by his choice either.
@Bubi, you refreshed my bad memory about XZ’s Sunshine by My Side that was ruined by nepo babies with random lines and screen time here and there. LOL. The FL for his longest awaited drama, The Longest Promise, was also somehow disappointing. Yet to see a FL really meshing well with strong chemistry with XZ although I think Li Qin in The Youth Memories had decent chemistry with him.
Why would they announce that he’s picking the female lead? I get it. It’s to show the power he has. But on the off chance he flubs it up, LOL. He’s gonna catch HEAT.
Adaptation of novel by high-profile author and director. Wu Lei over Yang Yang! No brainer.
I thought WL wanted to take a break from Cdrama and shifted his focus on movies?
His movies keep flopping because he simply doesn’t have the star power that his fans think he does. And no producer is going to keep hiring someone who brings losses.
Ouch! Kinda as I expected. It wasn’t that easy to switch if he did not have strong backing as someone like WYB etc.
@Somebody
Generally speaking, Chinese market is cold, both for dramas and movies. It’s an economic crisis everywhere so people will see only what they really want and think is good. It’s a great litmus test for who is truly successful and popular and who isn’t and who has the real quality projects.
Anyway he really should go back to dramas and work on his acting. Nothing shameful about that.
He only had one movie where he was the lead and it was dwelling by the west lake and it did great for a literacy move. The other ones he was in were all guest roles. He is currently filming 2 other big movies right now so we shall see how that play out before we can say if his movie career is over or not. Plus he never said he was only doing movies, that was a false rumor
@Lily
Nope. It was absolutely not an art movie. It flopped and then it suddenly became an art house movie to cover for the terrible box office. It’s a well known trick in cent. Zhao Liying is currently doing the same switch where her movie suddenly became art house because the box office is just 100 mil.
His current movie is with Zhu Yilong and whether it succeeds will depend on ZYL. Let’s not play dumb. He has zero box office appeal.