Qiyi, which released the wildly popular drama Story Of Yanxi Palace a few years ago, is known as the “Netflix of China”, and it has been trying to expand its market outside of China.
The streaming platform will release its first Southeast Asian original series The Ferryman: Legends Of Nanyang, which stars Lawrence Wong, Qi Yu Wu and Kate Kinney, on the iQiyi International app and iQ.com on 24 August.
The Ferryman is a remake of iQiyi’s 2014 Mandarin language series of the same title, but with the setting changed to Southeast Asia instead of China – hence “Legends Of Nanyang” – and featuring an international cast.
The 36-episode series follows Xia Dong Qing (Lawrence Wong), a convenience store worker who can see supernatural beings because of his “Yin Yang eyes”.
After working as a part-time assistant at No. 444 convenience store, Dong Qing discovers that his special ability was bestowed upon him by Zhao Li, a grim reaper patrolling the mortal world with a hidden agenda. The convenience store also turns out to be the nexus between the mortal realm and the spiritual one, where deceased souls pass through upon death.
Along with Zhao Li, Dong Qing communicates with and helps distressed, wandering souls in the mortal world. (Check out our interview with the cast here.)
Here’s a trailer for The Ferryman:
