Conquering a new market

Chosen, a three-part Chinese thriller, will be broadcast on Netflix later this month, marking a milestone for mainland internet productions. Wang Kaihao reports.

In recent years, many Chinese have got used to watching productions by Netflix, an American entertainment streaming media provider, on Chinese online video websites. As a result, Netflix works, like the TV series House of Cards and Black Mirror have gained a huge fan following in China.

But now change is in the air. Last week, it was announced that Chosen, a three-part Chinese thriller, will be broadcast on Netflix later this month, and is to become the first internet-tailored film from China to be released on the leading American broadcast platform.

The film is a production of iQiyi.com, an arm of Chinese internet giant Baidu and one of the country's major streaming media platforms. It was first released on iQiyi on Jan 7, but the premiere date for Netflix has not yet been decided.

Chosen was adapted from a TV series from the US of the same title, which was first screened in 2013.

The original series centered around a lethal game in which the protagonist receives a box, which contains a gun and a picture of a stranger, along with instructions to kill the person.

In the Chinese adaption, the story is set around a Chinese couple in Sydney, Australia.

The cast includes actress Deng Jiajia, Taiwan actor-singer Lan Cheng-lung and Han Pengyi, an actor best known for his stage performances.