Aside from Untouchable Lover, which is looking like a walking disaster the more things I learn about it, Story of Yanxi Palace 延禧攻略 is another one of Yu Zheng’s projects that is gaining attention for a couple reasons.
First, it bears a striking resemblance to the sequel to Legend of Zhen Huan starring Zhou Xun and Wallace Huo as it not only revolves around the same timeframe but even features the same Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty. In that sense, it’s practically a given that there are bound to be similarities in styling and costumes, and there are.
Second, it marks TVB queen Charmaine Sheh’s highly-anticipated return to costume dramas after five years. Just one look at her impressive career and it’s easy to see that she shines in period pieces, most notably Beyond the Realm of Conscience which continues to be regarded as a classic. Palace politics and infighting amongst consorts would probably be a walk down the park for the veteran actress though it’s interesting that she has joined Yu Zheng’s drama in a supporting role.
And she’s not the only one as Yu Zheng has actually gotten Qin Lan and Nie Yuan to sign on while the titular lead falls in the shoulders of young actress Wu Jin Yan, who plays a palace maid that eventually falls into a romance with the Emperor. She definitely seems to be Yu Zheng’s goto actress these days as she also headlines Zhao Ge, which is another one of his productions.
Source: Official Weibo
Anonymous
It is really a pity that untouchable lovers is labelled as a disaster, I really loved the novel and hoped the drama would have been as good as the novel. Unfortunately the drama changed so much the original plot that I seriously doubt it will be worth watching it.