Streamer Viu onboard pan-Asian kidnap drama from Fuji TV, MakerVille, SimStory

Yusuke Kato announcing Kidnap Game at a press event in Japan

Japan’s Fuji Television, Hong Kong’s MakerVille and South Korean company SimStory are coproducing a pan-Asian thriller series titled Kidnap Game, set to premiere in October, with streamer Viu attached in markets in Asia, the Middle East and South Africa.

The drama series is currently in production as a Viu Original, with principal photography carried out across Tokyo, Hong Kong, Seoul, Taipei, Singapore, Bangkok and Manila using localised crews and regional talent in each city.

The series is directed and produced by Yusuke Kato, with exec producers including Kentaro Shibuya and Kenichiro Hobara from Fuji TV, Kenneth Kam from MakerVille and Song Seon-Eui from SimStory.

The series stars Japanese actor Kentaro Sakaguchi as a detective and South Korea’s Lee Joon-gi as a surgeon whose daughter is kidnapped, alongside an ensemble cast drawn from across the region: Alice Ko from Taiwan, Stanley Yau from Hong Kong, Carrie Wong from Singapore, Joel Torre from the Philippines and Praew Narupornkamol Chaisang from Thailand.

The story centres on a wave of simultaneous abductions in seven Asian cities, with the families of victims told that only one of their loved ones can be saved and are forced to compete in a series of missions to secure their release.

Shibuya, who is also head of content business at Fuji TV, said: “As Fuji Television continues its evolution into a full-scale content company, expanding our IP internationally remains a key strategic priority.”

He added that the show “represents a significant milestone as our first-ever primetime terrestrial drama series developed through an international coproduction framework.”