Ink Factory, Beach House, Fifth Season link for Cleopatra Wong series

The original Cleopatra Wong starred Marrie Lee

CONTENT LONDON: LA- and London-based studio The Ink Factory has teamed up with Blue Ant Studios-owned Asian prodco Beach House Pictures to adapt 1970s spy movie franchise Cleopatra Wong as a TV series.

The Ink Factory, the prodco behind The Night Manager and The Little Drummer Girl, acquired the adaptation rights as part of the deal with Singapore-, Beijing- and Tokyo-based Beach House, one of Asia’s largest indies.

The series will be co-written by Chinese-American writer Tasha Huo (Red Sonja, The Witcher: Blood Origin) and Thai-British scribe Chris Cornwell (A Discovery of Witches, Strike Back).

LA-based Fifth Season (fka Endeavor Content), owned by South Korea’s CJ ENM, will distribute the show, which has been in development at Beach House for several years.

The drama is the latest project from Ink Factory’s Asia Slate initiative, which is led by exec producer Tessa Inkelaar and backed by Hong Kong- and London-based media investment firm 127 Wall Productions with support from the British Film Institute’s Global Film Screen Fund.

The original Cleopatra Wong was created by Filipino writer/director Bobby Suarez and became a series of movies made in Singapore in the late 1970s, drawing on UK super-spy blockbusters and the popular blaxploitation films from the US.

“In Cleopatra Wong, we have something truly special,” said Simon Cornwell and Stephen Cornwell, co-founders and co-CEOs of The Ink Factory. “With its heart and soul in South-East Asia, the franchise brings a young female action hero and her companions to the screen in a way that will feel fresh, confident and authentic.”

Donovan Chan and Jocelyn Little, co-founders of Beach House Pictures, added: “We’re confident our unique blend of East-meets-West creativity and perspective will bring something truly innovative to Asian and international television audiences. Cleopatra Wong is the centrepiece of our growing slate of scripted projects.”