Abyssal Sentience (觉醒之重启) starring Johnny Huang Jingyu, which started production on August 18, 2026 has wrapped filming of approximately two months in the desert landscapes of Ningxia and in Chengdu. It’s a Chinese mystery sci-fi drama that connects a disappearance with the discovery of an unknown parasitic life-form known as “Hundi”. It is directed by Yang Lei, known for his work on the sci-fi series Three-Body, with Lu Beike as co-director.
With what looks to be an action-packed series, it’s only fitting to have Johnny Huang as the main protagonist Chu Nanfei. His search for the truth behind his father’s disappearance during a mission called “Abyss” in 1965 draws him into a complex web of mysteries and unexplained phenomena. It also includes Tian Jiarui and Bao Shang’en as special stars.
Adapted from the novel Ling Dian by author Piao Qi, the story begins with a drilling accident in the Gobi Desert in 1965. A disaster leads to the disappearance of an exploration worker. Twenty years later, the Lenghu Oilfield receives a signal from the abyss, bringing the long-buried case back to light. Chu Nanfei and their companions venture into the perilous depths of Gobi. There, they must battle infected individuals undergoing strange mutations, all while grappling with family trauma and difficult moral choices.
