“No Reserve” Faces Severe Cuts Due to Wayne Lai’s Rape Scene
After Wayne Lai (黎耀祥) won Best Actor Awards for two installments of Rosy Business <巾幗梟雄>, high expectations were set for the third series, No Reserve <巾幗梟雄之諜血長天>. However, TVB management disapproved of the drama after screening a pivotal male rape scene, and demanded significant footage to be cut.
Drama to Be Cut in Half
Wayne’s character in No Reserve suffered a terrible rape scene during his time in the army. Producer Lee Tim Sing (李添勝) already planned the scene from the beginning and intended to challenge the conservative nature of the television industry. When TVB General Manager, Mark Lee (李寶安), found out about the controversial scene after filming had concluded, he immediately contacted Peter Au (區偉林) and Catherine Tsang (曾勵珍).
Mark Lee demanded that 15 episodes of No Reserve are to be cut from the 30-episode series, with all references to the male rape scene to be removed. Roughly $15 million HKD worth of filming would need to go to waste. Displeased with the amount of inappropriate material in No Reserve, it is speculated that TVB will remove it from the weekday prime-time broadcast, and will show it during the weekends instead.
Wayne Lai Feels Helpless
Faced with a less favorable airing slot, Wayne expressed he has no control over the situation. “No, I haven’t heard anything about it, but if the company makes this decision, they’re doing it to get the best outcome. The company knows the limits. As an actor, we only need to perform well in the series. The decision to cut or not is up to the company. But cutting from 30 episodes to 15 will not happen since there’s only one (male rape) scene. Or maybe the series will be even more exciting after cutting 15 episodes!” On possibly losing the TV King title this year, Wayne is not at all worried. “If the reception is good enough, people naturally like it! I’m not worried!”
On the other hand, Catherine Tsang disclosed that an actual male rape scene was not included in the drama. Since she has only watched three episodes of No Reserve, she does not know exactly how many episodes will be taken out. “I don’t know, it could be only five episodes. Right now, we don’t even know when it’ll be aired!”
Source: On.cc
This article is written by Su for JayneStars.com.
This drama sounds so embarrassing for everyone involved they should just shelve it for life.
Isn’t it weird that the rape scene was already in newspaper and also in JayneStars last year? And now only the TVB management knows about it?
Obviously not a good management team.
I’m honestly so interested in what goes on behind the scenes at TVB. Is it just so hectic and busy that people miss things or are people so incompetent that nothing goes smoothly?
Probably very incompetent. Because which company would have spend $15M (although it is HKD) without checking what is acceptable and what is not?
This sound really silly to me.
Male rape scene? UGHHH sounds so disturbing and gross. I can totally skip it!
So you mean that female rape scene isnt digusting?
Where did I say that the female rape scene isn’t disgusting? The content of his news is about “male rape scene” and I replied as is. I seriously don’t like rape scenes esp the aggressive ones.
Continue living in your bubble.
Messy n brutal huh! Does art imitates life before life imitates art huh!!!!!!!!
Wayne Lai is Guts.
Why is a male rape scene disturbing while a female rape scene isn’t. Men can be raped, and have been raped in reality.
I think that the viewers should be warned about the scene beforehand and choose whether to watch it or not but I don’t understand why it needs to be cut unless it is completely unnecessary for the plot or just badly produced.
Would the drama still make sense if those scenes were cut off?
Agree with you 100%!
Agree. And people complain about TVB’s reoccuring plot and whatnot.
Who said it wasn’t? They both are. Honestly I don’t care whether the show will air or not but just want to add my two cent. I have to agree with you about warning viewers beforehand. ive had it happened to me several times where there were no warnings and I awkwardly halfway-watched an R rated scene with my aunt, LUCKILY dad wasn’t there.it just happened so fast I didn’t even make it to the control on time. And it was a taboo scene urgh just thinking about it gives me chills… They should put a warning message right before the scene.
Agreed. I think a female rape scene is worse to my opinion. Female are more vulnerable, not only physically but emotionally. So what is the issue with TVB having a male rape scene when they have no issues with the female rape scenes in their past dramas? Moreover, it is not as if it is a 2B category drama which we all well knew TVB limit. So what’s the fuss over the scene? Sigh.
Once was mentioned due to Sire’s scandal her screen time was greatly reduced and many scenes that she led have been cut short. So does this drama still have its meaning anymore?
Though, Sire’s reduction in screen time I can totally understand but not this frankly.
I like how they are finally making their dramas more to reality. I agreed with you.
wow all of the people in that photo looks like they don’t even want to take a photo but sire ma is the only one smiling
If the scene fits within the context of the story, I don’t know why they are fussed, eg. during war. Yes, it is bad, but these things happen in real life, you only need to watch the news to find out about such attrocities. As stated above, it is no worse than female rape scenes, which tvb have been happy to have in their dramas previously
Agreed. Not as if TVB will filmed in such a way that is so in-depth and detailed.
Those who put an interest to history will know those are “history”, what have been taken placed and is a fact during those those particular time and places. As long as it does not filmed it in such a way that is promoting such an act then what’s the issue. Instead they should try educate the people and go against it.
I felt it will be a flop like Beauty at War. After all the stories on how Sheren Tang insist on manipulating the story line especially to totally struck of one of the story line on the unspoken love lives of the same gender in the Palace.
if the plot and scenes are neccessary…dont cut them. think of a better alternatives if really required. from 30 to 15 it is a lite too drastic and just think about it so much effort and resources wasted. if really needed change airing slit time.
i guess to the producer and everyone involved, they are really hoping that a.good.piece of work ia able to viewed by the audience.
look forwatd.to No Teserve. ALL.THE.BEST!
agree with you. waste of money and time and the actors worked hard to film those 15 eps that r gonna be cut.
hong kong TV broadcasting is not the same as western liberal views…moreover our culture is still follow the asian culture and not too liberal view…therefore, maybe this scene is not allow…miss sheren tang indeed in this drama…i think sheren can carry the heavyweight scene much more powerful due to her powerful eyes that is full of angst, no nonsense persona and powerhouse acting superb
Agree. Sheren Tang really knows how to act with her big eyes. Not every actress can or knows how to do it!
TVB management is not too smart letting $15 million HKD go down the drain for not reading the stroyline and script. That money could better be spent on better salries and working condition. As for the male rape scene, they could have film it as a POW torture scene and voice-over any reference of the rape to torture to save money. Now, the series looks to be an open ended or half baked broadcast. Wayne said it right, we are artists trying to perform at our very best as the script demands.
Myolie does not look good
She doesn’t seems to blend in with her role from the start.
Hmmm….alot of stuff was left out of the original article. According to producer Lee Tim Sing, they never actually filmed the male rape scene — pretty much they just refer to the rape scene via dialogue, so I honestly don’t understand what the big deal is. My guess is that this is another example of the media (tabloids) taking a small bit of unconfirmed information and exaggerating it to epic proportions in order to sell a story. Of course the series will be edited, as all TVB series go through that step, but I highly doubt that it will be edited down to 15 episodes as rumored…again, that’s probably the media blowing things out of proportion. Besides, if the execs truly do try to edit it down that much, I’m sure Tim Gor will say something, since he’s not the type to just sit back and let the execs walk all over him (and Mark Lee definitely is no match for Tim Gor in terms of clout within the industry and within TVB…the media is giving Mark Lee too much credit — as long as Tim Gor speaks up and fights for it, Mark Lee can’t do crap).
Whatever the case, the series isn’t going to air anytime in the near future anyway, since the legal battle between the series’ scriptwriter and TVB is still going on (they have to wait until that issue is resolved in order to air).
legal battle unsolved = a further delay in this drama being showed = viewers’ loss.
really hope the dr ama will be shown soon.maybe this is part of the strategy to create noise before the drama is aired.
what legal battle? shouldnt even be filming if got legal issue. so much resources and hardwork wasted. im sure tvb management knowshowto calculate.
The scriptwriter for the series went to the labor board in HK and basically claimed that TVB owes him back wages for the 2 series he wrote for them (Bullet Brain and RB3) – this happened a few months ago and the issue has yet to be resolved. If both sides can’t come to an agreement (it’s doubtful that they will settle, since both sides seem pretty adamant with their stance), then it will be taken to court. The other ‘curveball’ in this whole thing is that the scriptwriter has also implied (to the media at least) that he was “harassed” by his supervisor while working at TVB – if that is true and this issue goes to court, it could definitely complicate matters.
As for the timing – this issue came up way after RB3 was filmed so it’s not like TVB could have “not filmed it”, since they didn’t know it would result in such a mess. If both sides don’t settle and this does end up going to court, then it’s likely that the series will be shelved indefinitely..
We will find out soon if 15 episodes will be cut.
I think TVB Senior Management does not have much confidence in the scriptwriter’s work after getting very low viewership ratings on “Bullet Brain”.
Seems like the same cast in Bullet Brain except for Myolie. Since there were so many negative comments of Sire Ma and yet she is still in drama? Her character in BB was so boring and quite a flower vase. Why not include Natalie instead? She was in BB also. Maybe TVB should listen to feedbacks on the acting quality of its artists. Some people will give feedback and many would just change channel. I am more of the latter group.
i believe No Reserve had already finished filming before Bullet Brain had aired? So it was too late anyway
Didn’t know it had been made earlier. Then TVB might as well censor all the parts with Sire Ma as well. Lol
all this censoring, this drama would make no sense whatsoever LOL
Wow cut half the drama for the just one rape scene lol
A pity. Could have been a breakthrough. Moreover removing all references to that male rape which is 15 episodes means killing the momentum, the story and the performances. Here we have every glorious detail of a so called 30 seconds rape on a woman highlighted and promoted and there we have a homophobic who erased all references to male rape which actually happened and could have been educational as well as hauntingly moving.
TVB does not know how to make good stories. Well let’s stick to old men raping young women or women raped or bum shots of Sharon Chan. That’s as edgy as they’re willing to go.
And Wayne should stop being so apolotical. 15 episodes cut from 30 episodes basically kills a story. He should lobby for the series to be cancelled.
They should just air the 30 if the drama is successful good if not doesn’t matter cutting 15 ep is a waste
This is the first I’ve heard of the male rape scene for this series.
They should air it in appropriate timeslot, but I don’t concur with cutting out half the show. That’s just idiotic.
I had sandwich for lunch today and I was thinking to have it again tomorrow. gosh it was so tiring today I think i will go to bed earlier .
😀 🙁 LOL!
That’s a good one. LOL!
That’s a good one! LOL!
this is dumb…really. people can’t accept a male rape scene on tv, it’s not like you’re actually gonna see the details just references to it. this is really sad. tvb may get complaints but cutting the scene and references to it ruins the story. the whole story loses it’s momentum. i am fine w/ them putting it to a weekend slot, but don’t cut the scene.
poor bobo.
The freak is this male rape scene TVB doing Gay stuff in there series.
Poor Wayne (and the rest of the cast). A 15-episode cut is too much and is bound to take away a good part of the storyline. There should have been better communication between the producer and higher management executives. So is TVB afraid that they will get many complaints after airing this (like they don’t already. Big deal.) or get their license revoked (lol)?
Perhaps if the rape scene wasn’t too expicit it should go down pretty well with most viewers but to cut off 15 scenes is rather drastic.
There were many female rape scenes in the TVB’s series and TVB was okay with it. Only one male rape scene and the whole drama needs to be cut in half? Ridiculous! I know that many people (including HK people and Jaynestars fans) will complain about the male rape scenes but it is not fair to only portray females as victims. Sexism? Wow.
I will never forget the Tom Fontana scribed rape scene in St Elsewhere. I really felt that it communicated the violence and evil of rape precisely because antifemale social stereotypying about mutual consent were not an issue.
So … Japan did that to our males of all ages.
And on the anniversary of my father’s murder by triad last year, someone called our fax machine at 8:17 am from the criminal defense firm with the caller id for an attorney known for defending pedophiles using the same name as my brother’s pediatric neurosurgeon.
Come on don’t be so conservative.. Is just a male rape scene, what’s so big deal?? There is no need to make a big fuss out of it….
Have no idea why they insist on making a 3rd one for this series. It’s just not the same without Sheren Tang. If they were to make another sequel for a show, they should seriously consider a third THC, Moonlight Resonance, TITS, or another Healing Hands, or even Armed Reaction 4.
This drama is already pretty embarrassing. I predict a flop lol.