The Message 风声 is an upcoming web drama adaption set during the Japanese occupation period, and is based on Mai Jia’s novel of the same. Xu Lu (Be With You), Janice Man (Love Weaves Through A Millennium 2), Zhao Lixin (Chinese Style Relationship), Zhang Zhijian (In the Name of the People) and Tony Yang (Divas Hit the Road 2) as the leads.
An official under Wang Jingwei’s puppet-government is assassinated, and the rebel who shoots him is later caught and tortured. Japanese colonel (Zhao Lixin) is alerted to the fact that there is a rebel mole known by code name ‘Phantom’ in the government, and invites the five suspects to a mansion deep in the mountains.
The suspects include the talented code-breaker Li Ningyu (Janice Man), a cheeky administrative officer Gu Xiaomeng (Xu Lu), former soldier Wu Zhiguo (Tony Yang), section chief Jin Shenghuo (Zhang Zhijian) and flamboyant homosexual Bai Xiaonian (Niu Zifan).
The Message was previously adapted into a well-received movie starring Zhou Xun and Li Bingbing (pictured above), so the web drama has a lot to live up to in terms of acting and storytelling.
A 30-episode adaptation aired at the end of 2010 under the title Fengsheng Chuanqi 风声传奇.
Wasn’t there already a drama version of this?
Perhaps under a different name? Baike lists this show as the only drama adaptation so far.