So the good news is that the story of Sang Yan and Wen Yifen will be making its way to the silver screens. The bad news? Zhang Ruonan and Bai Jingting won’t be back to reprise their roles in the movie remake of their hit series The First Frost 難哄. Unfortunately, the upcoming flick, which will also find its sister drama Hidden Love 偷偷藏不住 also translated to film, will be featuring a brand new set of actors instead of the original cast so beloved amongst fans. Whoever they end up casting, they sure have big shoes to fill.
Casting Shake Up
With the show’s huge success, you’d think producers would do their best to replicate the magic formula that made the drama so popular. However the decision to move towards a different direction casting wise isn’t entirely unfounded. In a previous interview, 31-year-old Bai Jingting shared that he no longer feels he’s still suitable to play student roles in campus dramas at his age. In The First Frost, part of the story took place when Sang Yan and Wen Yifen were still high school classmates.
Producers also took into account concerns that the original cast might be typecast in the future and the rising popularity of the original cast. By opting to go with an unknown cast, this opens up more possibilities of discovering new talent. Whilst casting was a primary concern for drama fans, many have rallied around the idea and have even started sharing who think they might be suitable.
A secondary concern amongst fans is how the film will condense the story line knowing that the film version has limited time. To be able to tell the story comprehensively with all its depth and nuances without sacrificing character development and compress it all into a “few hours” time will undoubtedly pose a huge challenge.
Source: 1
