Hu Ge’s “Game of Hunting” Finally Gets a Broadcast After 2 Years

Fall television always comes with the best shows, and in the case of Mainland China, one of the most highly anticipated shows of the year goes to Game of Hunting <猎场>, starring Hu Ge (胡歌), Johnny Chen (陈龙), Sun Honglei (孙红雷), Zhang Jiayi (张嘉译), Regina Wan (万茜), Zu Feng (祖峰), and Michelle Ke (柯蓝). The business drama, directed by Lurk <潜伏> director Jiang Wei (姜伟), is slated for a September release.

It took two whole years for Game of Hunting to see the light of day, and after catching the details, it isn’t a surprise to see why.

When filming began in mid-2015, Hunan TV and video streamer Le TV each purchased broadcast rights of the drama for their respective platforms, buying each episode for 4 million RMB. Earning 220 billion RMB in total, it was more than enough to cover the 110 billion RMB production costs.

But why wait two years to air it? While the show was still in production, the cast were shot to superstardom through their respective dramas—Hu Ge and Johnny Chen through Nirvana in Fire <琅琊榜> and The Disguiser <伪装者>, Zu Feng through Ode to Joy <欢乐颂>, Regina Wan through The Glory of Tang Dynasty <大唐荣耀>, Michelle Ke through In the Name of the People <人民的名义>, and Sun Honglei through the variety show Go Fighting <极限挑战>. With such a large and star-studded cast at the helm, the studio wanted to go for more money-grabbing opportunities. They attempted  terminate their contracts with Hunan TV and Le TV, which led to a lawsuit.

Hunan TV and Le TV retaliated, and after two years in court, the different parities finally made a decision: Le TV spent 177 million RMB for the online broadcast rights of not only Game of Hunting, but also for Lurk, Lancet <柳葉刀>, and Plain Beacon <平原烽火>. Hunan TV, on the other hand, used the same price to buy Game of Hunting’s television broadcast rights.

Source: HK01

This article is written by Addy for JayneStars.com.