New King of Comedy

[GeneChing]

Headlines from China: Stephen Chow Films ‘King of Comedy 2,’ Eying 2019 Chinese New Year Release
BY CHINAFILMINSIDER OCT 11, 2018



Stephen Chow Films King of Comedy 2, Eying 2019 Chinese New Year Release

Hong Kong media reports that Stephen Chow currently is filming King of Comedy 2 in mainland China. According to sources familiar with the matter, Stephen Chow’s The Mermaid 2 was previously set to release during 2019 Chinese New Year. However, as the post production of the film is taking much longer than expected, the director decided to make King of Comedy 2 for the Chinese new year season. King of Comedy 2 is a sequel to Stephen Chow’s 1999 comedy film King of Comedy. The sequel stars Wang Baoqiang, who also played major roles in this year’s box office hits Detective Chinatown 2 and The Island.

I love Wang Baoqiang and wasn't overly impressed by The Mermaid

[GeneChing]

The New King of Comedy is another contender for the 2019 Spring Festival box office.

[GeneChing]

Stephen Chow to Produce ‘King of Comedy’ Variety Show With China’s iQiyi
Patrick Frater
Wed, April 24, 2024 at 4:52 AM PDT·2 min read



Stephen Chow, the once iconic Hong Kong comedian, actor and director who had a string of hit films in the 1990s and first decade of the 21st century, is to produce a variety show in mainland China.

The show, to be called “The King of Comedy Stand-up Season,” is to be aired by iQiyi, one of China’s dominant streaming platforms. The title is a reference to one of Chow’s best-known movies, released in 1999.

The variety show project was described as the first step in a 360-degree partnership between Chow’s Hong Kong stock market-listed Bingo Group and the NASDAQ-listed iQiyi. The announcement was made as part of iQiyi’s annual Spring iJOY presentation and event. The partnership is also expected to include drama series, variety shows and animation productions.

Earlier this year Chow (aka Chow Sing-chi) struck a deal with Douyin, the Bytedance-owned Chinese sister company of TikTok, to produce a slate of mini-drama series for mainland China audiences.

Mini dramas are a form of professionally-generated content that has become hugely popular in China, and to a lesser extent in other parts of Asia. Series typically have 20-100 episodes of 1-15 minutes each, though just a couple of minutes is typical. This makes them easily digestible and suitable for casual consumption on mobile devices. The most popular genres are comedy and romantic drama and many are derived from web novels.

In a statement at the time on Douyin’s WeChat social media feed, Douyin said that Chow’s first series project is called “Jinzhu Yuye” and is currently a work-in-progress that could be delivered by May. He is understood to be working with other creators.

With films including “Shaolin Soccer” and “Kung Fu Hustle” on his filmography, Chow is an elusive, but iconic figure. He is credited with popularizing the “mo lei tau” (which loosely translates as “nonsense”) form of frenetic slapstick comedy.

I still haven't seen The New King of Comedy. Has anyone here seen it?