Mango TV Modern Romance C-drama Dazzling with Li Yun Rui Abruptly Changes Female Lead From Sun Zhenni to Guan Xiaotong Days Before Filming Start
Well this sucks majorly for cutie pie Sun Zhenni! I’m not going to say this doesn’t happen on occasion in C-ent but still sucks to have to happen to an actress that recently had a small breakout thanks to her last drama and was primed for a really great next role. The Mango TV produced modern C-drama Dazzling is scheduled to start filming this week in May in the seaside city of Weihai and it’s highly anticipated as the first drama selected by male lead Li Yun Rui after he leveled up big time with Blossom. The female lead was supposed to be Sun Zhenni until it suddenly changed to famous little flower Guan Xiaotong, and reportedly Sun Zhenni was scheduled to fly to Weihai and start filming and found out about her getting replaced through online chatter and her name shooting to the top of search words. Guan Xiaotong’s side reached out to the production to ask for this role after word of the quality of the story and production team, and her popularity and position in the industry greatly dwarfs Sun Zhenni so of course the production welcomed casting her. It also means the production will increase its budget with anticipated more CFs sold but may also switch billing order between the leads now. Stay tuned.
That’s honestly a really shitty thing for GXT’s team and the production team to do. Do they not sign contracts to avoid letting things like this happen?
I hope it ends up being a blessing in disguise for SZN.
I never see GXT in popular/hit drama other than Romance in the Valley. How did she get really popular and influential?? Im just wondering. I dont hate her. I actually kinda like her
I don’t know about hit dramas, but one and only chinese drama I watched was with her, and she was quite good.
She played two completely different characters and made them both deep (despite second character was typical damsel in distress).
She played good enough for me to want to watch another drama with her.
So I can understand if she has many fans. But these news quite sad, harsh reality of actor’s hierarchy.
I only knew her through her famous, once-top liuliang bf, Lu Han, also an EXO member.
Her family is well connected. Part of Beijing’s art circle if I remember correctly. Then she’s also a graduate of Beijing Film Academy. I noticed that the industry usually favors and always have work for the graduates of BFA and CAD even when some of these actors deliver mediocore results at most.
She’s a nepobaby, that’s the only reason she’s given the roles she gets. She’s a bad actor but unlike other shitty actors like Reba or Hu Yitian, she doesn’t even have really good looks to fall back on. I know that’s nasty but it’s true and it’s annoying that such a bad actor keeps being given roles she doesn’t deserve just because of her backing.
@foulthings
She isn’t a bad actor, did you even watch any of her drama?
As a fan of her acting your criticism has nothing to do with GTH acting skills, you just don’t like her for her wealth
Harsh reality for Sun Zhenni… but such news is not a good impression for any drama to start with.
I am not a fan of Guan Xiaotong’s acting. Nothing against her personally, just her acting cannot reach my heart. She has recently been in afew variety shows but even in those, she fails to charm. Having said that, she is truly tall with long legs and beautiful face. She photograph well.
Even if they decided suddenly to replace female lead, why they didn’t say her about it. Why she found out about it from internet.
It’s a bad behaviour for production company.
Yeah, I agree. A really sh!tty thing to do. At least they could have done her the courtesy of letting her know she was replaced instead of finding out by online chatter. I’m not a fan of GTX acting – too cold for my taste. I was looking forward to a pairing of SZ and LYR.
A typical example of lacking business ethics, which is quite rampant in China. It’s been well known for decades that many Chinese companies have no credibility in keeping up with contracts and promises. What does really matter in doing business in China is your connections with CCP authority and higher up, which is more important than what truly benefits both sides in business negotiations. This casting news isn’t something new to me as a business professional knowing tons of crappy practices inside Chinese business community. Specifically, China’s economy is in a very bad shape and projects are limited with constrained resources. They have become even more aggressive ever to compete for projects and deals.
@Somebody
I don’t know much about China and business side, but I think this isn’t only China’s problem. My country lacks some work ethic as well.
I read some bad news about entertainment industry in Korea and Japan, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Hollywood also has it.
Unfortunately I think this can happen in any entertainment industry around the world.
Nope. The problem is way worse in China under that system. At least advanced economies with free markets have more respect for contract terms and conditions. That’s how business works in free markets and the only way for ppl to continue to get deals.
It’s been a while since I watched a GXT drama. I pseudo-chased A Girl Like Me because I liked her character.
I loved the novel, and of course the FL’s character in it, but was the drama good?
The drama is pretty good actually. A low budget drama but a very fun one. I like her in the drama. Surprisingly that’s my first Neo Hou first drama
Don’t like GXT’s acting anyways but it’s pretty shitty to take someone else’s role like that.
I’m indifferent to the FL, be it GXT or SZN. I’ll check this one out for LYR’s sake.
Oh yeah nepotism and capital must win… always
If Esther or Zhao Lusi wants it, will they change GXT to one of this girl? Lmao… But i guess, it’s all about GXT’s backer. Is she still dating Luhan? The last time i’ve read melon, she no longer sent a bday wishes on his bday.
The final casting has been confirmed — Zhang Ruonan will play the female lead. Filming is set to begin on 20th May 2025.
Ah, so people are bashing GXT over this rumor?
@Yats
I wonder if Koala will write about it. I noticed this blog publishing some rumours, but rarely post a rebuttal if some of this rumors happens to be untrue
Changed again???
Expectations are going to be high and it can backfire. Yikes. I do wonder if GXT’s side really did reach out or if the production was already secretly courting her and is trying not to appear shady and unethical while marketing the drama (“so good, an actress will fight for it!”) I hope there is some financial compensation for Sun Zhenni. She cleared her schedule for this.
Not surprised, Yang Zi also took another actress’s role away for The Oath of Love.
Role replacement is common…but I wonder if the actress was informed about her replacement before job started? The lack of being told about it that is so unprofessional.
Yang Zi experienced that herself when she was young…she found out her roles was replaced only after she turn up to work. She cried about it as she was not told ahead.
You again with this same fake narrative of yang zi ‘taking away’ another actress role when in fact she was in Italy filming a variety show when the producer reached out to her, sent her the script, she liked it and decide to act in the drama so I don’t know why you keep spreading misinformation around
Zi has experienced the same thing several times in her early days and she talked about it and definitely won’t do that to another actress
I don’t even understand how her name entered into this conversation cause you have clearly voiced your huge dislike for her but still end up talking about her??
I dont want to be sound rude and Im sorry for SZN BUT Im so glad and happy to hear such news!!
I want to watch this guy with a stronger actress especially if drama is a modern one. In costume dramas I can look over most things like with moderns nu uhh…
I cant wait to see screen energy of this new pairing *-* Hope screen writer would give us worthy story & character development.
That sucks! They couldn’t at least tell her they were replacing her? At least two upcoming dramas of SZN have gotten licensed in the past 3 weeks, she’ll get more opportunities once these air in the future.
Nothing this girl does has every been successful. Her acting/beauty/fanbase is nothing to brag about. What a shitty move?! I was planning to at least tune in but looks like I’m out.
As much as I don’t like Guan Xiaotong, its a given that she will be chosen over Sun Zhenni since this is a television drama and not a web series. The audience is familiar with Guan Xiaotong given that she’s a child actress, and she has some decent dramas in recent years like Twenty Your Life On and Romance in the Alley that were also broadcast on TV. Sun Zhenni probably lost the role because The Blossoming Love was a flop. Anyway rumors are on the street that Guan is not even the ideal choice by the producers. They tried to court for another actress but failed, settled for Sun, then apparently still decided to choose a more high profile actress.