Hou Hongliang (侯鴻亮), producer of last year’s hit Chinese television drama series Nirvana in Fire <琅琊榜>, revealed that he may not bring the original cast members back for the second installment of the show, which is currently in pre-production. Nirvana in Fire, adapted from Hai Yan’s (海宴) popular novel of the same name, starred Hu Ge (胡歌) as a former captain of the fallen Chiyan Army who returns to the capital to exact vengeance on the royal court of Liang. He takes up the identity of Mei Changsu and becomes a strategist for the young Prince Jing (Wang Kai 王凱), supporting him to the throne. Nirvana in Fire became an immediate commercial and critical success when it was released in late 2015, winning numerous accolades across the nation including a Flying Apsaras Award for Outstanding Television Drama, the highest honor for a television series in the country. With over 3.55 billion trending posts on Sina Weibo, Nirvana in Fire was an Internet phenomenon and considered a cultural achievement for Chinese entertainment. As expected, the studios of Nirvana in Fire announced that they would work on a second installment for the series, with the original cast allegedly signing on to return. After hearing this news, Liu Tao (劉濤), who starred as Princess Mu Nihuang in the original series, said she will make room in her schedule to fit Nirvana in Fire 2 at the end of the year, adding more excitement for the fans. However, in a short interview with Hou Hongliang yesterday, the producer admitted that he may not bring back the original cast for the second series. He said, “We are still working on the script. To be honest, I don’t want to purposely bring back the original cast. It really depends if they’re suitable for the roles. While the second installment will be related to the first, they are not completely linked. It is a new story after all. Right now, our priority is to get the script right.” Meanwhile, Hu Ge said that he has heard that the studios were working on a second, but he did not receive a casting offer. Wang Kai expressed at an event that Nirvana in Fire 2 “shouldn’t be any of [his] business” as the series will be introducing new characters. Nirvana in Fire first premiered on Mainland China’s Beijing TV and Dragon TV on September 19, 2015, airing two episodes a night. It was then syndicated to Sichuan TV on January 28, 2016. South Korea, Taiwan, Canada, the United States, and Japan have aired the series. The show will make its debut in Hong Kong, dubbed in Cantonese, through TVB Jade on May 16, 2016. Creds: Liberty times
