The news that a big production company is planning a big S+ budget drama will clearly send the eligible actresses into a tizzy trying to land the lead role. The track record has been good with New Classics Media (新丽传媒 Xin Li) which most recently co-produced The Story of Rose with Liu Yi Fei and also has mega hits like Joy of Life and Ruyi’s Royal Love in the Palace behind it’s belt. Word is NCM’s next production is picking another flower and telling another female lead centric empowerment story, this time adapting the novel The Red Peony for the small screen. This week casting gossip is saying Liu Shi Shi is in talks for the female lead role, which takes her through marriage into early widowhood and then embarking on a journey where she dares to love brashly and openly with a series of men she encounters in her life. The drama is co-produced with Tencent and if it films in 2027 will be a tentpole production for the platform next year.