Zhao Lu Si to Self Produce and Star in Melancholy Modern C-drama Farewell Letters
I think this project of all the recent year rumors with C-actress Zhao Lu Si‘s return to acting is genuinely likely to go forward. The actress is reportedly going to star in 10-episode modern C-drama Farewell Letters, adapted from the novel Thirteen Suicide Letters by German writer Kostin Gill. She is self-producing the drama hence the industry take this one will happen, and should be a test of whether a drama production with her will go off without a hitch and maybe pave the way for her return to big budget large scale productions. The story is about a young woman who sends farewell letters to her friends and family as she prepares to kill herself, but the attempt fails and she has to handle the aftermath. The drama is slated to start filming towards the end of this year.
Ahahahahaha oh my goodness, how the mighty have fallen. And no, even if she somehow gets this to broadcast, it still won’t change her status. She is a high risk artist who is soft banned. But let’s see if this is another of her dreams first. Who is going to invest in this?
ZLS has at least three hit dramas under her belt and a very strong on-screen presence. Not a fan of modern C dramas, but I will watch this one for her sake to see how it fares.
It’ll only be 10 episodes, 45 minutes each, so not much time investment needed to watch. I would give it a try.
Clever move by whoever that thought about this… as long-dramas big sponsors are still not keen to invest in her, she uses a shorter project to market herself back into telly. If this investment works, she will gain more credibility.
I liked her old look more, but I still think she’s a good actress. I would definitely at least try it out. Side note; the Chinese cover for this novel is way better than the cover for the English translation.
A boldly interesting choice and outside of the usual web novel adaptations that seem to be churned out every week. The author is actually Kerstin Gier. She writes mostly YA and women’s fiction. And the original title, Für jede Lösung ein Problem. For every solution, a problem.
If she had her health breakdown 4 years ago, I feel like she would have been able to bounce back more quickly. But now investments are drying up across the board and micro and AI dramas are proliferating. Every investor wants to play it super safe. I don’t think it’s healthy to tie your happiness and well-being to snagging S/S+ tier dramas.
But is it a S/S+ drama? It’s only a short drama. Seems like it will be cheap to film. Like a test the waters drama.
I hope it works out for her. I really like her as an actress.
It’s not an S/S+ drama. What I meant is that there is likely an expectation for her and for any actors who have done high profile S/S+ tier dramas to keep in that lane or else it’s a career downgrade. I feel like there can be fulfillment in resources-are-just-okay-but-story/role-is-interesting choices.
I think she is someone who has to have her own say or she would become insane, which explains the fallout between her and the team behind her last drama. Starring in her own production is the only way to overcome it, because nobody in their right mind would listen to her anymore.
This sounds like a story with depth. She has a good eye. Wishing her the best
Is this picture AI generated? That doesn’t look like Lusi…
The plot sounds interesting. I personally like the format of jdramas so I would welcome shorter cdramas with the same format especially if they are modern.
I hope this does happen! It would be such a waste, she has a talent and she’s obviously still not done. Still so young.
The plot sound interesting
I’m glad she’s taking on these new challenges – smart move all around.
1) she’s getting older, so roles will dry up as she gets more mature. If she works behind the scenes, it’ll be another avenue she can try later on.
2) roles are shriveling up, and not because of the scandals. They dont call it ebiz winter for no reason.
3) she’s handled enough dramas to know what it takes to make a drama successful and with her helming the ship, she can actually create projects that she likes and dictate its direction instead of passively accepting what comes from it.
4) she’s been producing which is easier on someone than having to actually act. Her comeback role here will be short enough for her to still dip her toes into filming without burning her out.
if people actually care about quality, they should self-produce. If dramas like go princess go succeeded along with other short web series, this is the way to go. Quality entertainment does not need a big budget
She’s so different, always willing to go a different path. I’m interested in watching this. I’m sure she’ll be very good in this role. Think I’ll go check out the source material 🙃.