Fox Network Group has acquired international rights to Chinese TV series “To Be A Better Man” from producer Linmon Pictures. The move underlines Fox’s recent expansion into local-language production and series broadcast.
Fox will carry the 42-part romantic drama on its own STAR Chinese Channel and will resell rights to broadcasters outside its channels group. It has exclusive rights outside mainland China. The series premieres on May 31, 2016 in China by Zhejiang TV, Jiangsu TV and LeEco, and on SCC internationally.
The series follows the story of a tough Chinese chef working at a Michelin 3-star restaurant in the U.S. After his best friend is killed in a car accident, he returns to mainland China with his remains. There, he runs into the person he least wants to see, and becomes entangled with both his unresolved and new relationships.
“To Be A Better Man” was written by award-winning scriptwriter Li Xiao (“May December Love,” “Honey Bee Man,” “The Bachelor”) and directed by Zhang Xiao Bo (“The Nanny Man,” “The Bachelor”.) The production budget for the season is some $23 million (RMB 150 million) or $540,000 (RMB3.5 million) per episode.
The cast includes top Chinese actor Sun Hong Lei, and Korean pop star-turned actor Zhang Yixing (aka “Lay”), from K-pop band EXO and its sub-unit EXO-M.
“With the increasing demand for high-quality Chinese content internationally, FNG is confident that ‘To Be A Better Man’ will set the bar even higher for what can be expected from Chinese productions. The show is exactly the kind of top tier original content we are committed to deliver to audiences,” said Cora Yim, SVP and Head of Chinese Entertainment at FOX Networks Group Asia in a statement.SCM last year acquired and broadcast “Tiger Mom” in the family comedy-drama genre.
Backed by Tencent, Mango TV and Hony Capital, Linmon describes itself as a boutique creator, producer and distributor of premium entertainment content. Its first drama series “Love You, Leave You,” was rated the highest viewed TV drama earlier in 2016 during Chinese New Year. Its upcoming shows include “A Love for Separation” and and “Fighter of the Destiny,” which is derived from a some of the top IP on Tencent Literature.
