NEWS
Youku wraps production on China adaptation of "The Night Manager"; spy thriller releases in late 2026
15 January 2026
Mainland Chinese streamer Youku has wrapped production on a Chinese adaptation of The Ink Factory's spy thriller, "The Night Manager", based on John le Carré’s novel. The series – the second adaptation in Asia after the Hindi version – will premiere on Youku in China in late 2026, with global sales handled by Fifth Season.
The 12 x 45-mins drama series, co-produced by 127 Wall Productions and The Ink Factory, stars Eddie Peng ("Black Dog") as Jonathan Chan, the polished night manager of Bangkok’s Emerald Palace Hotel, and Sean Lau as tycoon Richard Kwok, who is linked to illegal arms trading. Isabella Leong ("The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor") plays Jed Cheung, Kwok's girlfriend; and Carman Lee ("The Condor Heroes 95") joins the cast as Angela Fok, the ICAC's relentless investigator.
The series is directed by Kelvin KinLong Chan ("Hand Rolled Cigarette"), who in today's announcement commented on the East/West storytelling blend.
"By placing Le Carre's narrative in an Asian context—with themes of family ties, urban isolation, and betrayal under neon lights—we’ve reimagined it in a fresh and unique way. This is more than a spy story—it’s a reflection of our shared humanity, and we hope it will resonate with audiences across cultures and languages," he added.
Quan Xianglan, GM of Youku’s Shining Studio, said today that the series represented a "major milestone in advancing towards globally recognised, industry-standard production practices".
The series, written by Cheung Feifan ("Cold War 1994") and He Liangyu ("Cold War 1994"), is produced in association with Character 7 and Demarest Films.
Donghui Wang leads the team of executive producers with producer Julia Song and executive producer Chris Cornwell. Joe Tsai and Arthur Wang executive produce for 127 Wall Productions; and Simon Cornwell, Stephen Cornwell, Michele Wolkoff, and Tessa Inkelaar for The Ink Factory. Al...
Mainland Chinese streamer Youku has wrapped production on a Chinese adaptation of The Ink Factory's spy thriller, "The Night Manager", based on John le Carré’s novel. The series – the second adaptation in Asia after the Hindi version – will premiere on Youku in China in late 2026, with global sales handled by Fifth Season.
The 12 x 45-mins drama series, co-produced by 127 Wall Productions and The Ink Factory, stars Eddie Peng ("Black Dog") as Jonathan Chan, the polished night manager of Bangkok’s Emerald Palace Hotel, and Sean Lau as tycoon Richard Kwok, who is linked to illegal arms trading. Isabella Leong ("The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor") plays Jed Cheung, Kwok's girlfriend; and Carman Lee ("The Condor Heroes 95") joins the cast as Angela Fok, the ICAC's relentless investigator.
The series is directed by Kelvin KinLong Chan ("Hand Rolled Cigarette"), who in today's announcement commented on the East/West storytelling blend.
"By placing Le Carre's narrative in an Asian context—with themes of family ties, urban isolation, and betrayal under neon lights—we’ve reimagined it in a fresh and unique way. This is more than a spy story—it’s a reflection of our shared humanity, and we hope it will resonate with audiences across cultures and languages," he added.
Quan Xianglan, GM of Youku’s Shining Studio, said today that the series represented a "major milestone in advancing towards globally recognised, industry-standard production practices".
The series, written by Cheung Feifan ("Cold War 1994") and He Liangyu ("Cold War 1994"), is produced in association with Character 7 and Demarest Films.
Donghui Wang leads the team of executive producers with producer Julia Song and executive producer Chris Cornwell. Joe Tsai and Arthur Wang executive produce for 127 Wall Productions; and Simon Cornwell, Stephen Cornwell, Michele Wolkoff, and Tessa Inkelaar for The Ink Factory. Also executive producing are Clare Cornwell for the John le Carré estate; Susanne Bier, Stephen Garrett for Character 7; David Farr and William B. Johnson for Demarest Films.
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