Ink Factory, 127 Wall adapt The Night Manager for Chinese streamer Youku
Youku will debut The Night Manager in mainland China in late 2026
Chinese streamer Youku is lining up a remake of hit UK spy drama The Night Manager having recently wrapped principal photography on the series.
The Chinese-language adaptation for the Alibaba-owned streamer is a coproduction between the original’s producer The Ink Factory (The Pigeon Tunnel) and 127 Wall Productions.
Shot in Hong Kong, Macau, Bangkok, Kanchanaburi and Phuket, the series reimagines John le Carré’s iconic novel as a spy thriller set across Asia starring Eddie Peng (Black Dog) and Sean Lau (Papa). It marks the third version of the show following the Hindi-language adaptation released in 2023 on Disney+ Hotstar.
Isabella Leong (The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor) and Carman Lee (The Condor Heroes 95) are also in the cast, with Kelvin KinLong Chan (Hand Rolled Cigarette) directing. It is written by Cheung Feifan (Cold War 1994) and He Liangyu (Cold War 1994).
The 12×45’ series will premiere on Youku in mainland China in late 2026, with Fifth Season on board to handle global sales. The series is produced in association with Character 7 and Demarest Films.
Donghui Wang leads the executive producing team and oversees overall production of the show, along with producer Julia Song and executive producer Chris Cornwell.
Joe Tsai and Arthur Wang executive produce for 127 Wall Productions and Simon Cornwell, Stephen Cornwell, Michele Wolkoff and Tessa Inkelaar for The Ink Factory. Also executive producing are Clare Cornwell for the le Carré estate, Susanne Bier, Stephen Garrett for Character 7, David Farr and William B Johnson for Demarest Films.
The adaptation comes after the original, the first season of which was produced for the BBC and AMC and aired in 2016, returned after a decade, again starring Tom Hiddleston.
The Ink Factory established its Asia slate and associated financing facility, with backing from 127 Wall Productions, in 2021 with the aim of delivering adaptations of le Carré’s work into the major markets in Asia, which led to the Indian remake of The Night Manager.
Quan Xianglan, general manager of Youku’s Shining Studio, said: “This partnership with The Ink Factory and 127 Wall Productions marks a significant step forward in our commitment to fostering diverse, high-quality storytelling. Moreover, it represents a major milestone in advancing towards globally recognised, industry-standard production practices.”
KinLong Chan added: “I’m deeply grateful for the chance to be part of this creative journey blending Eastern and Western storytelling. Le Carré’s stories transcend borders, exploring the depths of human nature. 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.”
