The Ink Factory has wrapped principal photography on a Chinese-language adaptation of The Night Manager, reimagining John le Carré’s espionage classic as a pan-Asian thriller for Alibaba-owned streamer Youku.
The 12-episode series, shot across Hong Kong, Macau, Bangkok, Kanchanaburi and Phuket, stars Eddie Peng (Black Dog) and Sean Lau (Papa) in the lead roles, with Isabella Leong and Carman Lee rounding out the core cast. Kelvin KinLong Chan (Hand Rolled Cigarette) directs, with global sales handled by Fifth Season.
The new adaptation transposes le Carré’s globe-trotting spy saga to Asia, with Peng playing Jonathan Chan, the polished night manager of Bangkok’s Emerald Palace Hotel, whose past in Hong Kong’s White Rock Detention Center resurfaces when he is recruited to infiltrate the criminal empire of arms-dealing tycoon Richard Kwok, played by Lau. Leong co-stars as Jed Cheung, Kwok’s girlfriend, while Lee plays ICAC investigator Angela Fok.
The project marks the second time Peng and Lau have shared the screen since 2016’s Call of Heroes and follows The Ink Factory’s earlier Hindi-language adaptation of The Night Manager for Disney+ Hotstar.
Simon Cornwell and Stephen Cornwell, founders and co-CEOs of The Ink Factory, said the new series represents a key step in the company’s Asia strategy. “It’s an enormous privilege to be working with leading Chinese streamer Youku to continue building the international legacy of le Carré’s writing,” they said, calling the new version “this landmark interpretation for the vast audience in China” and adding that the adaptation has been “beautifully crafted by a top-class creative team” and features “a remarkable line-up of household names.”
The Cornwells also praised director Chan, saying it was “thrilling to work with Eddie, Sean, and our wonderful cast, with Kelvin, a director we hugely admire, at the helm.”
Youku executive Quan Xianglan, general manager of the platform’s Shining Studio, described the collaboration as a step toward global-standard production for the company. “This partnership with The Ink Factory and 127 Wall Productions marks a significant step forward in our commitment to fostering diverse, high-quality storytelling,” she said, adding that it represents “a major milestone in advancing towards globally recognized, industry-standard production practices.”
Chan, whose debut feature Hand Rolled Cigarette won best new director at the Hong Kong Film Awards, said relocating le Carré’s story to Asia opened new thematic terrain. “Le Carré’s stories transcend borders, exploring the depths of human nature,” he said. “By placing his narrative in an Asian context — with themes of family ties, urban isolation, and betrayal under neon lights — we’ve reimagined it in a fresh and unique way.”
Arthur Wang, co-chairman of 127 Wall Productions, which co-produced the series, said the project reflected the company’s ambition to create globally resonant Asian storytelling. “127 Wall is proud to partner with master storytellers The Ink Factory — and with Alibaba’s leading streaming platform Youku in China — to create a new and expanded version of The Night Manager for the Chinese speaking world,” he said.
Executive producer Donghui Wang added that le Carré’s focus on deeply human characters made the adaptation especially appealing. “Being part of bringing The Night Manager to life in a pan-Asian context is a dream come true,” he said. “It’s exciting to reimagine those iconic characters for a new audience.”
The Chinese-language Night Manager is slated to premiere on Youku in mainland China in late 2026, expanding a franchise that recently returned in English with the second season of The Night Manager starring Tom Hiddleston, which launched Jan. 1 on BBC iPlayer in the U.K. and Jan. 11 on Prime Video worldwide.
