Leon Leong and Yang Chaoyue take on first leading roles in remake of Thai sports drama

There’s a new web drama in the works that brings together two rookies who rose to national fame last year. Known as one of the F4 in Meteor Garden, Leon Leong headlines the upcoming Chinese remake 极限17 羽你同行 of the Thai badminton drama Project S The Series: Side By Side, which was one of four mini-series that revolve around sports.

Side By Side is about an autistic teenager who ventures into badminton with his cousin. Their relationship becomes strained when one turns out to be the better player. It already sounds like there would be more than enough emotional undercurrent to drive the story. I’d hate to be the pessimist, so let’s just say I’ll be really happy for the actors and impressed to see them pull off their roles. Playing the other lead is Jackey Zhu Zijie who is also quite new to the industry and started as a singer.

Last but certainly not the least is the leading lady played by Yang Chaoyue. Having achieved a somewhat controversial fame as one of the top members of Rocket Girls, she first tried her hand in acting as a supporting character in The Promise of Chang’An, which wrapped in January, so this makes her second drama.

Filming has begun this March. As far as remakes go, it’s not clear how much of the existing plot will be adapted into the Chinese version. As a youth-oriented sports drama, the young cast actually look fitting, adorably sporty and age appropriate for their roles. It is produced by Tencent, Wajijiwa Entertainment and Mango TV.