First look: ‘Blossoms Shanghai,’ Wong Kar-wai’s first foray into television

After being tripped up by shut down productions do to the coronavirus pandemic, iconic and influential director Wong Kar-wai will begin production on Blossoms Shanghai over the next nine months.

Based on Jin Yucheng’s novel, the story of Blossoms follows three Shanghai residents from the early ’60s, at the end of China’s Cultural Revolution, and through the ’90s. “Blossoms would be the third part of In the Mood for Love and 2046,” the director told The Film Stage last year.

Blossoms Shanghai will take place in two forms: first as a television series then a full length feature film directed by Wong Kar-wai (his first since 2013’s The Grandmaster), and written by Shanghainese screenwriter Qin Wen. It’s set to star Hu Ge, Ma Yili and Kris Wu with visual supervision from Academy Award-winning cinematographer Peter Pau (Academy Award nominee for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon). No word yet on a release date.

Official synopsis:

BLOSSOMS SHANGHAI tells the story of an enigmatic, self-made millionaire, Mr. Bao (Hu Ge), and his journey of reinvention from a young opportunist with a troubled past to the heights of the gilded city of Shanghai. Set against the backdrop of massive economic growth in 1990’s Shanghai, the series unveils the glamour that follows his dazzling wealth and his entanglement with four fabulous women that represent the pursuits of his life: adventure, honor, love and innocence.

Here is the first look at promotional posters for Blossoms Shanghai featuring lead actor Hu Ge.