A TV series adaptation of one of the most popular movie series in China, Infernal Affairs, is scheduled to debut on Chinese streaming site iQiyi on Wednesday, 15 years after the first film in the Hong Kong franchise hit big screens.
Many film industry insiders see the franchise as the savior of the Hong Kong film industry as it earned more than HK$ 1.1 billion ($141.6 million) with a trilogy of films during a time when the Hong Kong film market was in a deep slump.
The first film proved so popular that a Hollywood adaptation was made. The Departed was directed by Martin Scorsese and starred Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon.
Starring Hong Kong actor Chung Him-law and mainland actor Wang Yang, the upcoming drama follows in the footsteps of the original franchise.
Undercover policeman Jiang Zidan (Wang) and his informant Wang Junxuan (Chung) team up to take on one of the largest criminal gangs in Hong Kong, but soon find themselves in over their heads.
The drama will consist of 36 episodes aired over three seasons, with two new episodes released every Wednesday.
