Wu Lei Reportedly Considering S+ Budget Modern Romance C-drama Cross the Ocean of Time to Love You as Next Project
A new casting melon that is juicy is circulating this week in C-ent. C-actorWu Lei just filmed S+ budget period wuxia C-drama The One (Chinese title 劍來 Jian Lai or Sword Comes) and it’s his first drama in three years. I didn’t expect him to be ready to do another but reportedly he’s considering a S+ budget modern romance C-drama titledCross the Ocean of Time to Love You ( Chinese title 京洛再无佳人 Jing Luo Zhai Wu Jia Ren). This drama was earlier rumored to go to Cheng Lei but if Wu Lei wants it the production will pick him of course. If this is true then it looks like Wu Lei is back on the drama land train.
Is Wu Lei higher ranked than Cheng Lei? (I personally prefer Cheng Lei – I think he portrays different characters really well whereas Wu Lei seems to use the same looks/expressions in everything)
Cheng Lei is my choice as well, but it has never been about meritocracy.
Yeah he kind of is. WL has ventured into movies and non-idol type dramas for awhile now, and it’s usually hard to break into the movie industry in china. CL is still firmly in idol territory.
@Anne, what’s the point of stepping outside the idol scene if acting skills remain stagnant? Genuine question.
His movie journey has been one massive flop. Total bust.
@shayeli – and the idol actors u watch, their acting isnt stagnant? Lol. At least he’s branching out and trying different things that will ensure career longevity and importantly, those people backing those projects like him enough to cast him.
@But – it doesnt matter what we think. Chinese movies are mostly for their domestic audience. His investors and backers still want him in different productions outside of idol stuff, and he’s still raking in the money. Reputation in c movies takes some time to build up, but at least hes stepping foot in there and not just chasing for fame or whatever like most idols are.
@Anne. Can’t you defend his performance without falling into whataboutism? At least you didn’t mention his numbers/popularity to me, I give you credit for that. We are supposed to be talking about acting skills. LOL!
I asked you a question that you couldn’t answer, but I will answer yours: I don’t have favorite idol actors, precisely because they are mainly inconsistent. I do have names that I like to watch, but I have criticized and will criticize their performance anyway. I have no interest in blind defenses.
It’s good that Wu Lei is exploring new horizons, but when will they pay off?
@Anne
I am not sure what you mean by that. Of course it doesn’t matter what we think. But in China, his movies have been a complete bust. He got panned for it.
The only reason he is still holding on is because he has really thick backing. Let’s not pretend it’s something else. He is extremely limited in acting and he has remained extremely limited for years. I don’t see what reputation do you think he is building except that he is a very limited actor.
It’s the right move to come back to making dramas. He can do just fine in a type of idol drama with an intense male lead. That’s his niche. He isn’t moving from that.
What I don’t understand is supposedly movies and sort of boring genre dramas are considered elite but idol dramas are almost shown to be the lesser of it all. And only idol stars are destined for the lesser but I feel this makes no sense because some supposed idol dramas would be better served with some good acting instead of using the supposed idol actors yet not all idol actors are bad. Somehow it seems they should consider fixing this but it seems that is just how they chose for things to be. Which is why some okay actors end up being booted from good lead roles and either retire or settle for supporting or cameos when they could do more than this. It frustrates me to see such great talent cast aside like that. But I guess it will always go back to money. This actor would be best served for tv series though. True his acting is still a bit lacking but he just is so great for tv series. Seems he is rushing too much for something he just might not be ready for. Hope he figures what to do before audiences lose interest. 🤷🏻♀️
Serious dramas also lack artistic qualities. I’ve tried them many, many times. But I don’t see any notable differences (with the exception of traffic disputes) that would lead me to believe this is genuinely the creative, promising, and efficient side of the Chinese industry.
It’s a weird concept that so-called “serious” dramas are superior to idol dramas on all fronts. C “serious” drama actors tend to overact and excessively theatrical, let alone plots are boring.
Many fantasy movies won the most prestigious Oscar awards. It would not have happened in C-ent. lol
And idols don’t overact?
@Anne, at least idol actors have visuals lol, and plots are entertaining sometimes. Who want to sign up for a lecture or a sermon rather than have fun enjoying an interesting story? lol
Well, it’s the same for Korea too. Even in the US, movie actors are also given higher status than drama/TV actors. This idol drama-serious drama-movie mechanism in China is like elementary-high school-university for education. Idol actors in China can also graduate into mainstream actors if they consistently deliver good acting like Hu Ge, Zhao Liying, and Xiao Zhan. Idol dramas are mainly about romance and hardly touch on deeper topics, and they can easily explode into popularity even if the actors aren’t that good in acting and the script isn’t that good, like Pursuit of Jade. That’s why idol drama is the lesser of it all, just like how you wouldn’t consider scoring high marks in elementary school as elite.
I also beg to differ that serious dramas lack artistic qualities. There is a notable increase in the depth of the topics which Chinese serious dramas delve into. It is also surprising that people would say the Chinese serious drama actors overact when they are much more subtle in acting compared to Korean actors.
I was not the one who commented on the performances, so I will only answer what corresponds to me. I was referring to the “serious dramas” that I have watched (they were recommendations, and I doubt they’re the same ones you’ve reproduced). Although they touched on raw topics, had poor execution in the direction and the consistency of the rhythm in the plot. They felt monotonous, like a documentary. If there’s no entertainment factor (an artistic value), I won’t bother forcing myself to watch more episodes in the name of “art”. Interchangeably, Pursuit of Jade also has strengths from an artistic standpoint.
There is a drama called Reborn with Zhang Jingyi and Zhou Yiran, it touches directly on sensitive topics such as child neglect and abuse, HIV, mental health, bullying, and defamation. No one considers it a “serious drama” for addressing such issues, the reason? The two main actors (although they gave solid performances). LOL.
@Kuromi, there is a huge gap between China and US/SK in the public perceptions of performing arts. Drama is a mode of fiction represented by performance. That’s the definition. Period! The line between seriousness and entertainment is often blurred. To have such a clear line dividing the attribute is ludicrous! China is just a weird animal on many fronts, showbiz included.
Historically, movie actors in the US were indeed given much higher status and prestige than TV actors. But the gap began to close due to several shifts in the industry:
Pioneering Crossovers: Actors like Clint Eastwood and Burt Reynolds in the 1960s and 70s were early examples of TV stars successfully jumping to film, proving that TV audiences would follow talent to theaters.
The Rise of “Prestige TV”: The late 1990s and early 2000s saw shows like The Sopranos and The Wire on HBO change the perception of TV as a serious artistic medium.
Shorter Seasons and Streaming: The shift to 8–13 episode seasons and limited series made it easier for film stars (like Meryl Streep or Matthew McConaughey) to take TV roles without being “locked in” for years, effectively destroying the old barrier.
Today, the line is almost non-existent. Many critics and industry professionals argue that television now offers more creative freedom and “meaty” character roles than blockbuster-focused cinema. The rise of techy media mogul, Netflix, is a prominent example to support this landscape change.
At the end of the day, it’s all about money that has driven the trend. Where there is investment, there is performance and vice versa. Capital! Capital! Capital! lol. For example, Game of Thrones is commercially more successful than many American films. According to NYT, by the end of its original run, it had fundamentally redefined the financial and production scales of the medium. As of 2026, many actors from Game of Thrones remain highly sought after, though their career paths have diverged into different “tiers” of stardom. While some have become blockbuster A-listers, others have found consistent work in prestige television or independent film.
If one is a good actor, he/she will continue to climb the career ladder regardless of whether he/she is a movie or drama star. If one can’t act, no producers will be interested in he/her regardless of whether he/she has taken movie or drama projects.
I guess I’m about to write a short essay for Theater101. lol
Back to C-ent and K-ent. The reality is, Cdrama and Kdrama are way more popular than C movie and K Movie in the international markets. Therefore, it’s natural for investors to bet more money in Cdrama and Kdrama. Nowadays, we all know Cdrama and Kdrama actors may have more highly profitable endorsements than their counterparts in the movie sector. That’s why some movie actors film dramas from time to time. Otherwise why should they? lol.
Summing up, saying movie actors are more prestigious than drama actors is totally cap nowadays.
The book is pretty female-centric so if he takes this drama, I feel they will change the story to give the ML equal weight.
Wu Lei can’t do modern romance if his life depended on it. It will just be another Ling Buyi in modern clothes.
Does he really want another flop after the ones he has had?
Who’s that handsome guy in the last pic? He’s better looking than WL though. lol
it’s Cheng Lei, didn’t you recognize him? you’ve been praising his visuals in other articles. but it’s not like he looks radically different without the idol drama styling.😭🤣
Haha..I didn’t recognize him at all. Not his fan (borrowed from KPDH lol) YET! I guess his looks are up my alley, but I haven’t finished any of his dramas yet.
I like Wu Lei in historical and Wuxia dramas. I agree most of his modern dramas are not good.