Eddie Peng, Sean Lau Star in Chinese-Language Pan-Asian ‘The Night Manager’ Adaptation for Youku

The Ink Factory and 127 Wall Productions have completed production on a Chinese-language adaptation of “ The Night Manager ” for Alibaba-owned streaming platform Youku , with Eddie Peng and Sean Lau leading the cast of the 12-episode series. The pan-Asian reimagining of John le Carré’s espionage thriller was shot across Hong Kong, Macau, Bangkok, Kanchanaburi and Phuket, with Kelvin KinLong Chan directing. The series is set to premiere on Youku in mainland China in late 2026, with Fifth Season handling worldwide sales. Peng, whose credits include Cannes Un Certain Regard winner “Black Dog” and “Operation Mekong,” takes on the role of Jonathan Chan (the adaptation’s version of Jonathan Pine). Lau, known for “Detective vs Sleuths” and “Papa,” plays arms dealer Richard Kwok (the Richard Roper character). Isabella Leong (“The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor”) stars as Jed Cheung, with Carman Lee (“The Condor Heroes 95”) as ICAC investigator Angela Fok. Popular on Variety The production marks the second collaboration between Peng and Lau, who previously starred together in 2016’s “Call of Heroes.” Chan, whose feature “Hand Rolled Cigarette” won the Hong Kong Film Award for best new director in 2020, helmed the series from scripts by Cheung Feifan and He Liangyu (both writers on “Cold War 1994”). The adaptation relocates the story to Asia, following Jonathan Chan, a Bangkok hotel night manager with a troubled past in Hong Kong’s White Rock Detention Center. When evidence surfaces linking tycoon Richard Kwok to illegal arms trading, Jonathan is recruited by Angela Fok to infiltrate Kwok’s organization, leading to complications when he becomes involved with Kwok’s girlfriend, Jed Cheung. Donghui Wang leads the executive producing team alongside producer Julia Song and executive producer Chris Cornwell. Joe Tsai and Arthur Wang executive produce for 127 Wall Productions, with Simon Cornwell, Stephen Cornwell, Michele Wolkoff and Tessa Inkelaar executive producing for The Ink Factory. Additional executive producers include Clare Cornwell for the John le Carré estate, Susanne Bier, Stephen Garrett for Character 7, David Farr and William B. Johnson for Demarest Films. Character 7 and Demarest Films are producing in association with the series. “It’s an enormous privilege to be working with leading Chinese streamer Youku to continue building the international legacy of le Carré’s writing,” said Simon Cornwell and Stephen Cornwell, founders and co-CEOs of The Ink Factory. “Our journey to bring le Carré’s timeless story of ‘The Night Manager’ to Asia began with our much-loved Hindi-language adaptation, and continues now through this landmark interpretation for the vast audience in China.” Quan Xianglan, general manager of Youku’s Shining Studio, described the partnership as “a significant step forward in our commitment to fostering diverse, high-quality storytelling” and “a major milestone in advancing towards globally recognized, industry-standard production practices.” “I’m deeply grateful for the chance to be part of this creative journey blending Eastern and Western storytelling,” Chan said. “By placing his narrative in an Asian context - with themes of family ties, urban isolation and betrayal under neon lights - we’ve reimagined it...

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