After two years of zero promotion, the new adaptation of Jin Yong’s novel Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils suddenly gets an airing date. I guess we are used to the quick announcement of premieres by now? If you have never watched any of the previous adaptations, the story has a lot of characters and relationships, please check out Wiki! My personal favorite is TVB’s 1997.
Airing 8/14~
Did Jin Yong perhaps sign a contract somewhere that all his new novel-to-drama adaptations must be headlined by new faces? The recent adaptations have all been really decent so far so I’m hoping the same rings true for this production. I have only ever watched the TVB version in 1999 with Sunny Chan and Charmaine Sheh. I both loved and hated it; heavy changes from the novel. Lol. I watched till the end because Sunny and Charmaine looked so damn good and sweet together. I was ready to spit blood if I they don’t get a happy ending. xD
Back then TVB background music for their wuxia series is top-notch. It creates the mood for me to remember the series fondly until this day.
A little behind but I finally laid eyes on the first set of stills for the new adaptation of Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils. I’m so jaded now. Looking at new adaptations of Jin Yong’s novels nowadays, I can’t help but sneeze out a laughter. I’m happy for some of the actors you know, being able to breathe life into some iconic characters, but at the same time, there’s a feeling of miscast as well. I know, too early to say.
Another new adaptation of The Condor Heroes with a weird/misspelled title?! The New Version of the Candor Heroes (神雕侠侣) features two green faces in Tong Meng Shi (Colourful Bone, The Taosim Grandmaster) and Mao Xiao Hui (The Twin Flower Legend). We have seen Mr. Tong in a few projects but for Mao Xiao Hui, she’s pretty green so let’s hope that factor will help her ~
Okay, okay. This remake looks pretty decent! Abundant of real outdoor scenes with waterfalls, mountains, and trees. The girls are gorgeous to look at and like I said last time, Zhu Xu Dan as Zhou Zhi Ruo is stealing all my attention without breaking a sweat. She has that cold beauty vibes going for her and I’m a sucker for it. Lol. Our hero played by Zeng Shun Xi worries me a little because he only has one expression throughout the trailer. xD To be fair though, Wu Ji the character isn’t very expressive…
This has not been a good week/month for Hong Kong entertainment as quite a few beloved names bid farewell to the world. Legendary wuxia writer Jin Yong (real name Louis Cha), actress Yammie Lam, veteran actor Elliot Ngok, and famous producer Raymond Chow Man-Wei (Fist of Fury, Way of the Dragon, Police Story). I grew up with Jin Yong’s novel-to-drama adaptations, the world he craftily created now remains an integral part of almost every wuxia drama produced. To me, he was always like one of the top masters of a sect, who already attained immortality, and forever looked down at the humans adapting his works into various mediums. He was 94 when he passed away. A name we will always remember. Then there’s Yammie Lam, a beautiful and talented actress of the 80s in TVB dramas, whose life was marred by tragedies; failed relationships, parents’ deaths, and being a rape victim to two power players. I’m just terribly sad that there was no uphill in the latter half of her life and she died at the age of 55 in her own home, found by a friend. May she rest in peace and find freedom in the other world. Veteran actor Elliot died at age 76 with his wife and daughter by his side. He was one of the actors that I watched backwards because I only saw him in dramas beginning in the late 2000’s after he returned to Hong Kong (and TVB). Lastly, there’s renowned producer Raymond Chow, co-founder of Golden Harvest, a Hong Kong legendary film studio, producing memorable films as well as discovering and nurturing many stars. He passed away at 91.
