The team behind The Legend of Ruyi (also known as Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace) have announced that Taiwanese actor and singer Wallace Huo has joined the crew of the upcoming movie.
The 36-year-old actor, who rose to fame for his roles in the dramas Go Yi Yi Go and Detective Tanglang, will step into the role of the Qianlong Emperor. He will star in The Legend of Ruyi alongside award-winning actress Zhou Xun.
Xun is widely known for her acting prowess, winning international awards for her roles in Suzhou River and Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress. She is labeled as one of the "Four Dan Actresses," which refers to the four most bankable actresses in China.
The Legend of Ruyi is the continuation of 2011's The Legend of Zhen Huan (or Empresses in the Palace). The first movie featured Sun Li as the titular Zhen Huan; Chen Jianbin as the Yongzheng Emperor, the third emperor of the Qing Dynasty; Ada Choi as Empress Ulanara Yi-xiu; Jiang Xin as Nian Shilan; and Leanne Liu as Empress Dowager Renshou. Both romantic, historical fiction series are based on novels by Liu Lianzi.
According to JayneStars, the upcoming sequel will take place after Yongzheng's death and Qianlong's accession. It will follow the story of Ruyi, Qianlong's wife, who gets caught in the middle of a power struggle between the court and members of the royal harem.
Although she is able to resolve the conflict and eventually becomes the Empress consort, she meets a tragic fate.
Filming for The Legend of Ruyi will in August this year. It will be produced by Huang Lan and New Classics Media and will be directed by Wang Jun. It is slated to premiere in December 2017 on Dragon TV.
