Eddie Peng, Sean Lau helms Chinese-language ‘Night Manager’ adaptation
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 retelling of John le Carré’s spy thriller was shot in Hong Kong, Macau, Bangkok, Kanchanaburi and Phuket, with Kelvin KinLong Chan directing. The series will premiere on Youku in mainland China in late 2026, with the fifth season handling global sales.
Peng, whose credits include Cannes Un certain Regard winner “Black Dog” and “Operation Mekong,” stars as Jonathan Chan (Jonathan Pine’s adaptation). Lau, known for ‘Detective vs Sleuths’ and ‘Papa’, plays arms dealer Richard Kwok (Richard Roper’s character). Isabella Leong (“The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor”) stars as Jed Cheung, with Carman Lee (“The Condor Heroes 95”) as ICAC researcher Angela Fok.
The production marks the second collaboration between Peng and Lau, who previously appeared together in 2016’s ‘Call of Heroes’.
Chan, whose feature film “Hand Rolled Cigarette” won the 2020 Hong Kong Film Award for Best New Director, directed the series from scripts by Cheung Feifan and He Liangyu (both writers of “Cold War 1994”).
The adaptation moves the story to Asia and follows Jonathan Chan, a hotel night manager in Bangkok with a troubled past at Hong Kong’s White Rock Detention Center. When evidence surfaces linking tycoon Richard Kwok to illegal arms trafficking, 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 production team along with producer Julia Song and executive producer Chris Cornwell. Joe Tsai and Arthur Wang are executive producers for 127 Wall Productions, while Simon Cornwell, Stephen Cornwell, Michele Wolkoff and Tessa Inkelaar are executive producers for The Ink Factory. Other 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 is a tremendous privilege to partner 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, ‘The Night Manager’, to Asia began with our beloved Hindi adaptation, and now continues through this groundbreaking interpretation for audiences in China.”
Quan Xianglan, general manager of Youku’s Shining Studio, described the collaboration as “an important step forward in our commitment to advancing diverse, high-quality storytelling” and “an important milestone toward globally recognized, industry-standard production practices.”
“I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to be part of this creative journey that merges Eastern and Western stories,” said Chan. “By placing his story in an Asian context – with themes of family ties, urban isolation and betrayal under neon lights – we have reimagined it in a fresh and unique way.”
“127 Wall is proud to collaborate with master storytellers The Ink Factory – and with Alibaba’s leading streaming platform Youku in China – to create a new and expanded version of ‘The Night Manager’ for the Chinese-speaking world, based on the suspense thriller from spy story maestro John le Carré,” said Arthur Wang, Co-Chairman of 127 Wall. “This collaboration illustrates our commitment to bridging cultures by producing intelligent dramas with heart and universal appeal.”
Donghui Wang, executive producer, added: “John le Carré’s ability to create unconventional, deeply human characters is what makes his stories so unforgettable – and what drew me to spy thrillers like ‘Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy’. Being part of bringing ‘The Night Manager’ to life in a pan-Asian context is a dream come true. It’s exciting to reinvent those iconic characters for new audiences, and I’m honored to be working with such talented team to work together to make this possible.”
The Ink Factory established its Asian slate with the backing of 127 Wall Productions in 2021, and previously produced a Hindi-language version of “The Night Manager” for Disney+ Hotstar, starring Anil Kapoor and Aditya Roy Kapur, with Banijay Asia.
Season 2 of the original English-language ‘The Night Manager’, starring Tom Hiddleston, launched on January 1 on BBC iPlayer and BBC One in Britain, with Prime Video rolling out the series worldwide from January 11.
