Chinese political thriller gets greenlight

State officials in China have commissioned a 42-part political drama that depicts a fight against corruption in the nation’s Communist Party.

In the Name of the People is backed by one of China’s top law enforcement agencies and is expected to air this year, according to the Guardian. 

The state-sanctioned drama – known as Renmin de mingyi in Chinese – follows the story of a government investigator who travels to a fictitious Chinese province called Bianxi to investigate a murder. A broadcaster is yet to be named for the project.

The show will reportedly cost £12.7m (US$18.5m) and will celebrate Chinese president Xi Jinping’s campaign.

In an interview with the Beijing Youth Daily newspaper, the show’s director, Fan Ziwen, said officials had approved the series because they believed it would show that efforts are being made to get rid of corruption.

Xi Jinping has made fighting corruption one of his priorities since taking power in 2012.

Some reports have already likened the forthcoming drama to Netflix’s political thriller House of Cards, which stars Kevin Spacey as a corrupt US politician. China is one of five territories where Netflix is yet to have a presence.