In what must be a first for both actors, Peng Guanying and Zhang Yujian step into the genre of BL adapted dramas as the male leads of In Darkness 逆光者. It is based on the novel In the Dark 在黑暗中 written by Jin Shi Si Chai that has also earned a manhua adaptation.
At first glance, the suspense crime drama appears to be a gritty retelling of good versus evil, of light versus darkness – what with Peng Guanying’s character Xie Lan Shan going under deep cover to infiltrate a powerful drug cartel. However as he returns from assignment, conflicting memories of another person keep flashing through his mind. When his old police academy friend Shen Liufei played by Zhang Yujian reconnects with him after several years apart, the Xie Lan Shan he knew then is very much different from the man in front of him.
It doesn’t seem like Peng Guanying is done with urban suspense dramas that just yet, following up last year’s The Confidence with yet another one. I reckon though that he’ll be getting much more screen time here than the disappointingly small one he ended up getting in The Confidence, such a shame too that his performance as a mega villain was pared down supposedly to get past the censors.
Likewise, after his latest stint playing the titular doctor in the forensic crime series Medical Examiner Dr. Qin: Silent Evidence, Zhang Yujian too shouldn’t have any difficulties starring in another crime drama. Except in this case, both Zhang Yujian and Peng Guanying are upping the ante a wee bit with In Darkness riding the trend of BL adaptations.
In any case, In Darkness has already wrapped up three months of filming on March 5, 2021. To mark this important milestone, production released some new posters of Peng Guanying and Zhang Yujian as well as the rest of their cast mates like Yang Shuo, Feng Jiayi and Chen Miqi.
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