Tencent Formally Announces Dylan Wang and Meng Zi Yi as Leads for C-drama Adaptation of Rebirth of the Malicious Empress of Military Lineage
So it’s off to the races for the production of the C-drama adaptation of Rebirth of the Malicious Empress of Military Lineage. Filming has commenced on the Tencent produced C-drama this week, right after the lunar new year as previously expected. Leads Dylan Wang as Xie Jing Xing and Meng Zi Yi as Shen Miao were also as previously expected and rumored, putting a definitive “take it or leave it” for fans of the novel who think either or both of them are miscast for the characters as described. Dylan gets top billing in a hilarious narrative flip on a female centric novel where the female lead has more than double the page length to the male lead. Since most of Xie Jing Xing’s solo story happens off novel (Shen Miao hears about it afterwards), the drama will probably just show it to increase his screen time. Tencent released the first posters of both leads and goodness gracious are these just wildly unappealing. The excessive photoshop plus the styling of Dylan to look older and styling of Meng Zi Yi to look younger makes it even more apparent these two look like a young attractive aunt and her high school nephew cosplaying a general vibes. Don’t mind me, I’m off to go scream into a pillow now.
I saw the material that came out. It’s really ugly. I don’t know where do you get such terrible taste. The two actors aren’t suited to the roles, but the worst part is they’re even less attractive. I really don’t want to watch i get them.
The styling looks like it is from 2010s.
Her lips again…I cannot help but be distracted by those unnatural lips, forget the other stuff.
Guess we wait for the final product and then determine whether it will tank or surprise us. Same old same old scenario with these dramas and the behind the scenes shenanigans of top billing madness. 🙃
Just say you are a misogynistic pos and move on.
This is one of the most famous female centric novels. Female. She has absolute supremacy here. And it’s being turned into yet another male lead drama because he is arrogant and can’t handle not being the center of attention with that fragile ego.
Well. We all know the origin of that fragile ego. There are procedures to help with that. Ruining novels certainly won’t help his reputation grow. Or anything else for that matter.
Hmm what? Not sure if you mean me but they already laid everything bare not much we can change on the final choice of actors/actresses. And I never read the novel so how should I know what is what? I merely meant it is what it is never said it was fair. Clearly you are more passionate about this than I am where I merely see this as another drama amidst many. It makes sense why he is first billed though over her if we look at it in a technical way but it never is fair in c-ent from what I see. All one can do is watch and see how it unfolds and if it infuriates you despite this just drop the drama and cherish the novel in your heart. It would not be the first bad adaptation out there. It sucks but it is what it is.
And worst of all, the fans of these actors (who are mostly women by the way) become downright misogynistic toward actresses because their “chinese god” can’t be number one. Oh, how pathetic. There were insults from both sides, indeed. But it is difficult to attack men with “misandry.” LOL.
Oh boy here we go
I am loving it! I have had so much popcorn!!
Cnetz have been dragging them so hard that I was laughing myself sick. Absolutely glorious!
He especially is being ruined and good! I hope they go harder! Imagine being so arrogant that you force a switch from female centric to him. A great beauty. Ha! With that face? Joke of the century. Mediocre actor who can’t even speak his own mother tongue properly.
At least she is not stealing anything even though she is also totally wrong.
‘..force a switch from a female centric to him.’ Sometimes top billing doesn’t mean more screen time or the story is changed from female centric to male centric. They need him to secure investment, because mzy alone can’t. Or else they would have cast a lesser known actor as male lead and give mzy top billing. It seems that mzy’s dramas after Blossom are all with tencent. My guess is maybe she signed a contract with tencent. If she really did, then tencent might prioritise her over whd.
I can’t wait for this drama to air just to read response from cnetz. Maybe these two can turn things around? I remember back then dyx received backlash when he was announced to play ml in lgief, but he managed to change cnetz opinion once the drama aired thank to his acting skills. But whd and mzy are not known for their acting skills, especially whd.
The posters look better than I expected though. They’re photoshopped!! Oh welp! lol
I’ll still check it out.
I’ve been waiting for this adaptation for more than 5 years. Kinda afraid that they will change too much just because of the billing and I hope both serve well on their acting.
PURPLE!!! They wear nothing but purple throughout. Except when they got married. Even his cloaks are purple black with gold threads. He was described as the purple cloud dragon by the fortune. Sigh. And sorry, those are not the most “beautiful eyebrows.” LOL. Going off to scream in my pillow now along with Koala.
I loved how they look because it mace me laugh out loud and l needed that hahh🤣
Lol it looks like they photoshopped Wang Hedi with some bits of Hu Yitian.
Seriously though, the source material is trash. Pages over pages about women setting up other women for r@pe and the male 17 year old protagonist’s jade fingers (and toes!). People here act offended as if this was an adaptation of To Kill a Mockingbird with Atticus Finch being a serial killer. Come on, the novel is unintelligent garbage, the show will probably also be unintelligent. Wang Hedi being top billed (if he is, I thought this was equal billing) makes sense in terms of popularity, but of course is sad show-casing once again the inegality of men and women in showbiz (with the exception of Lusi and Reba, but stil the former was second billed to Wu Lei in LLTG and Reba had to deal with preposterous demands by nobodies like Chen Zheyuan). Meng Ziyi is not a favourite of mine, but I think she looks good here, less makeup, less plastic.
Overall the styling is not great in those first photos/videos, but I expect it to be a mindless pastime of a show based on a mindless pastime of a novel, so I will check it out when it airs – unless I am fed up by then by people who are gatekeeping a trashy novel for 14 year olds and lonely spinsters.
The only voice of reason is your comment! People take being fans tooooo serious.
@Nena: I agree, the double standard behind “equal billing” is laughable considering that Li Yitong was almost pulverized for saying she wanted to participate in a female-centric drama. LOL. But male actors can go around suggesting extra scenes on screen here and there, even if they are barely on the rise.
Still not a fan of the FL
I remember Master of Her Own having either the ML actor get top billing or shared billing when the story was totally focused on the FL and her journey. Even the opening credits only featured her face going about her day and growing in her work.
I feel it’s a bit unfair people think this drama is going to crash and burn just because of the casting. The original work may have been fun and refreshing (and thrillingly trashy) years ago, but rebirth-esque stories have been done to death in the last couple of years. Lots of things will also have to be rewritten to pass censorship and them having to come up with new stuff for the ML to do – yikes. Heard there was an issue with the rights possibly expiring so they were rushing to get it into production. The rush could mean that other preferred actors and actresses didn’t have the availability or maybe they’re more wary about signing on.
Aunt and nephew is a bit farfetched, but I can definitely agree that they tried to make him older and her younger.
Wang He Di is only three years younger than her. LOL.
My favourite novel of all time. I do like the 2 leads individually and hope they can pull this off.