Period C-drama The Immortal Ascension with Yang Yang and Jin Chen Continues to Get Pushed Back as Reportedly Youku Not Pleased with Final Product and Pushing For More Edits
So xianxia C-drama The Immortal Ascension (A Mortal’s Guide to Immortality) was intended to be one of the biggest C-drama releases this year in 2025. But we are more than halfway done and still no sight of its release, having now missed three tentatively scheduled premieres with March, May, and now July. It could come next month in August if Youku really really wants to get it out during the higher viewership summer season. The drama, starring Yang Yang and Jin Chen, is a S+ budget and very high profile due to the popular IP behind it, so Youku wants to maximize the returns on investment. The purported gossip behind the reason for the drama being delayed time and again is that Youku isn’t happy with the end production so it keeps getting edited and tweaked. I’m not sure how much can be done to make a completed filming drama better solely through edits but I agree with doing more to try and produce a better product even if it delays the release. The big S budget top billed male lead C-dramas scheduled for 2025 so far has seen the release of Guardians of the Dafeng with Dylan Wang to good reception and Legend of Zang Hai with Xiao Zhan to record setting incredible level reception, while Immortan with Yang Yang and also The Legend of Journey with Cheng Yi both not yet aired.
Getting more strict! That is good. I like a good product too. Both leads looks good and have limited acting chops. But with the right producer and script, the drama can do well. Yang Yang has strong followings.
If The Immortal Ascension meets other artistic parameters satisfactorily, I wouldn’t mind if the performances are below average. I’m used to watching C-dramas (xianxia especially) for guilty pleasure. Lol.
I had those times too…😂
They better improve the special effects, fantasy dramas depend a lot on it. I guess if the drama ends up being bad, I may still be able to watch it if it’s funny enough though 😂.
Forget about Cheng Yi’s drama, I’ll at least check out this drama of YY with very low expectation.
That is the best way to start watching Yang Yang’s drama. Better be pleasantly surprised.
I know you like CY, but I’ve not been able to warm up to him so far, unfortunately.
No need to warm to him…Even I only watched 4 of his dramas…my fan level is so.😂
I watch most of Hu Ge’s drama since his beginning.. I am a core fan of Hu Ge.
And I too watched most of Xiao Zhan’s drama except Propaganda theme.
I like yang yang and xiao zhan.
@HL, XZ’s next drama is gonna a CCP propaganda again like Ace Troops. But I’m gonna watch it. I’ll just laugh at the agitprop and focus on his acting, and of course, face. lol
@HL, I just came from this article and you said yourself that you’re a XZ fan but everyone here is so focused on labeling you as a CY fan. Poor CY, you had just adored 🥰 him days ago! Lol. It’s okay for people to label themselves if they want but people should try to refrain from labeling others.
@Somebody, please tell me you’re not talking about the spy drama. I was looking forward to a new Republican era drama. Was going to check it out because Daylight + XZ but won’t now because Zhou Yutong already + CCP propaganda too??! 😢
@HL, I just came from this article and you said yourself that you’re a XZ fan but everyone here is so focused on labeling you as a CY fan. Poor CY, you had just adored 🥰 him days ago! Lol. It’s okay for people to label themselves if they want but people should try to refrain from labeling others.
https://koalasplayground.com/2025/07/02/c-actor-hu-yi-tian-in-news-as-his-fans-upset-that-he-hasnt-been-on-a-film-set-in-over-two-years/#google_vignette
@Dramalover, I like Xiao Zhan more as a fan than Cheng Yi but I have soft spot for Cheng Yi, not many on this site like Cheng Yi…Thus afew members remembered me what I said. Those members also know I am fond of Yang Zi and NiNi. But I dont engage in fan wars…as everyone can like who they want, I dont care to judge.
But I dont watch drama just based on who I like…I watch only if I find a drama entertaining. So if a drama is not entertaining, I will drop it.
@HL Looks like someone is overly eager to pit you against me LOL 🤣 I can’t think of why he will go rabid against my comments unless he is WYB’s fan/agency worker.
@Lilith, I am cool with everyone. Except rude and immature ones which I dont even bother to type more words. I just dont have energy for them. No spare brainwave to spare.
We chat long enough, I understand your points.
You are crazy to think I’m pitting you against HL. We’re all just posting comments online. Don’t let your conspiracy theories get to your head. I see HL here and on other sites. She’s a pretty chill gal and not up to provoking others or arguing. Can’t say the same for you. And you can stop labeling me a WYB fan. If I like him, I have no problems with saying so, but I don’t like or dislike him. Are you so binary that you can only like/fan or dislike/anti? Anyone who has been here long enough knows your reputation here. You like labels so much, I’ll give you one – a rabid XZ fan. Read this article recently. Questioning others and telling them what they have watched or liked (unfortunately HL again, but like I said, she’s a chill gal). Even questioning and suspecting Koala of playing around with the article date on this XZ article to line it up with a WYB article. Unreal. Enough of you already. Go get help. Bye!
https://koalasplayground.com/2025/06/08/youku-period-c-drama-legend-of-zang-hai-wraps-highly-successful-run-and-douban-ratings-open-with-7-1/
@Dramalover HAHAHA what a joke 🤣 Ask me to stop calling you out as a WYB fan when you keep labeling me as XZ fan yourself. 🤣
As expected, you got triggered by another thing related to WYB again 🤭 Just look at the posted date of that article (June 8) and compare it to the first comment (June 5). For info, that article was first posted on June 5, then suddenly the posted date was updated to June 9 and conveniently lined up sided by side with this WYB article https://koalasplayground.com/2025/06/09/wang-yibo-announced-as-the-new-global-spokesperson-for-outdoor-wear-company-helly-hansen-making-it-his-30th-brand-collaboration/ which was posted on June 9. After I commented about it, Koala changed the posted date to June 8.
YY had a unique presence, was convincing, and appealing in both Love O2O and You Are My Glory. So, I still have some expectation about him although not high. His visuals are natural that’s gem scarcity (稀世珍寶) nowadays after all, and I appreciate that. lol
This comment 💯. Yang Yang’s acting is almost nonexistent but as far as looks go, at least he’s naturally attractive even if I’m not attracted to him. So many plastic surgery faces onscreen recently, it’s like at least half the celebrities worth mentioning in recent works have had some kind of big or small plastic surgery – Ren Jialun, Luo Yunxi, Xiao Zhan (?, no offense!), Deng Wei, Yang Mi, Angelababy, Li Yitong, Yang Zi, Meng Ziyi, Ju Jingyi, Zhao Lusi, can’t remember them all but the list goes on.
Oh yes, Xiao Zhan’s next drama is Ace Troops…I will watch just for him.
@Somebody, please tell me you’re not talking about the spy drama. I was looking forward to a new Republican era drama. Was going to check it out because Daylight + XZ but won’t now because Zhou Yutong already + CCP propaganda too??! 😢
Yup! I was referring to the Republic spy drama. Heard that Daylight is a pretty good production company. So, I’m counting on that a bit, although one should expect heavy agitprop in the drama. CCP definitely would hype their 5th column to the level of what Mossad (Israeli intel) can and have done in Iran. LMAO. Just keep my fingers crossed. I used to be lackluster about The Youth Memories, one of XZ’s non-costume drama that was a brag about CCP’s economic reform. But the acting and the production exceeded my expectation. So I always recommended TYM to those who are interested in XZ’s works. Besides, it was a fact that China improved the domestic market through that economic reform.
BTW, I don’t think XZ had PS. Everything below his eyes just doesn’t look like. Some people might question his most mesmerizing eyes (to me lol). I think he just got amazing makeup artists to highlight the charm of the stares lol. XZ’s eyes when barefaced without makeup look very different in his vlogs from stage. He also looks exactly the same barefaced as how he looked in college. I just don’t see the reasons why he would look like that ordinary although still nice looking after going under knives. That would have been a waste of money. LOL. PS would have made the changes more dramatic, not natural or ordinary like that.
Even if the plot and visuals are good, actors should put an effort into what their profession is supposed to be. I don’t expect for Yang Yang to be Tony Leung, Kim Namgil or Namgoong Min, but I don’t want to see him just reciting his lines.
Judging the rest of the cast, only Wang Duo has the acting chops.
Unlike before, what I notice is that actors in c-ent these days can’t get popular because of their visual alone which is a very good thing. Even those that become popular last year are those with acting skills (e.g. wang xingyue, ding yuxi, dai luwa). There’s actually an interview with a director of a theatre in ?beijing where the director was asked about his opinion about ‘jinjiang acting’ which focuses microexpressions, to which he replied by saying something like “..viewers have become smarter. such acting style was lost because of idol/traffic actors..”
Haha, this is actually very funny. Trying to repair the pot once it has been broken…
If they wanted a better product, maybe they should have cast a lead with better acting capabilities. It’s not like there aren’t any people around with both looks and acting skills, but they are never given a chance with all the big IPs going to traffic actors with limited skills.
For as long as traffic will be the main casting criteria, quality will always be lacking.
When will the likes of you understand that the main thing that matters is a good script and good direction? If Daniel Day-Lewis comes out of retirement and acts in a dud, it won’t magically increase the quality of the movie! Same thing with great directors (Scorsese) working with mediocre actors (Dicaprio). No one notices the actor if everything else is top quality!
So true. Gone are the days when audience can tolerate bad scripts & acting and will watch dramas for actors’ visual alone.
Waiting on this for Wang Duo. Was hoping this would boost his profile, but it appears to be yet another problematic production. sigh.
Wang Duo in Bloody Romance was so sexy and memorable. But he has not be lucky with good offers. It will be good to see him on this drama.
He was so mesmerizing in bloody romance but I’m not so sure we will see him lead anytime soon unless some miracle happens. It has been so long and it has yet to truly happen.
Luck is so important… with luck even without skills, one can still be successful.
Interesting and kind of true I guess, luck without a lot of skills or talent can still take someone far. Look at all the stars breaking out from BL dramas. Not sure if Xiao Zhan (no offense!), Wang Yibo, Gong Jun would’ve become popular acting as a male lead with a female lead romantic interest. None of them have really had much chemistry or success with their female leads. Zhang Zehan is cancelled now but he acted with Ju Jingyi and wasn’t as popular until he acted with Gong Jun. No wonder so many actors rushed to film BL – Zhang Xincheng, Fu Xinbo, Luo Yunxi, Chen Feiyu, Zhang Linghe, Tan Jianci, Chen Zheyuan … can’t remember the other ones but they were all looking to ride the BL wave but it crashed. Didn’t Zhu Yilong rise to fame from a BL too?
@Dramalover, Zhu Yulong was very popular in Guardian with Bai Yu… I found that drama fun to watch.
@DramaLover, BL isn’t a point for the Untamed to be a breakout hit for XZ. He made the hero, Wei Wuxian, ALIVE, like walking out of the novel. By far, the Untamed had been the most viewed Chinese drama on Netflix for years before the streaming right was terminated by the end of 2024. XZ’s role with his memorable acting is iconic in the sense both C-ent and fan circles acknowledge that no one else can replace XZ to tell the story of Wei Wuxian. Regardless of naysayers, XZ as Wei Wuxian in the Untamed is already used as teaching material in acting classes. That’s how great XZ was as the ML for the Untamed. The Chinese acting variety show, “Everybody Stand By” (演員請就位), already used his acting as one example to challenge aspired actors who participated in the show. The show had famous directors in C-ent as the judges. That said enough. No debate is necessary.
Me too! I watched The Blossoming Love just for Wang Duo lol. He was styled soooo beautifully and acts so well! A production may be questionable but acting must still be on point. I’m just grateful for Yang Yang’s popularity lol.
That last pic almost did not look like him… seems odd that they do so much editing. Editing does help but ultimately it comes down to the execution of the script and acting. I hope it works out.
Recently watched Moonlight Mystique.. Bai Lu and Ao Rui Peng’s acting are the best..