Killer of ‘3 Body’ Executive Executed in China
Also: 'Afterpiece' to open Shanghai IFF, Na Hong-jin recutting 'Hope'.
Killer of ‘3 Body’ Executive Is Executed
Xu Yao, who murdered media executive Lin Qi in 2020, was executed in China this week.
Lin was co-founder of YooZoo Games, the Shanghai-based company that held the film and TV adaptation rights to Liu Cixin’s trilogy of sci-fi books that included “3 Body Problem” (aka “Remembrance of Earth Past”).
Xu had worked with Lin on a game adaptation of “Game of Thrones” and on the rights deal for “3 Body Problem”. But he became disgruntled after being passed over for promotion at the firm shortly after YooZoo had secured an agreement with Netflix to produce an international series version of the book.
Xu poisoned Lin and Lin’s wife using mercury contained within a fake dietary supplement. Lin died within ten days of ingestion, but his wife survived.
Xu was tried and found guilty of murder in 2024 by a Shanghai court, and was sentenced to death. The execution was carried out on 21 May, local media report. It was subsequently confirmed in a social media post by YooZoo.
“We deeply mourn Mr. Lin and extend our heartfelt condolences to his family. As colleagues who fought alongside him, all members of the company are grateful for the impartiality of the judicial process… Justice has ultimately been served”, read the YooZoo statement.
“3 Body Problem” was first adapted as an animated series that was produced and distributed by Bilibili. In 2023, it became a live-action series for Chinese TV, with China Central TV and Tencent Video among the producers.
The 2024 Netflix adaptation was headed by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, who were previously showrunners of “Game of Thrones”. Lin was posthumously credited as an executive producer on the first season of the show.
Netflix is expected to air a second season later this year. And it is reported to be considering a third season.
Zhang Yimou is in preparation for a Chinese-language film version which is tentatively scheduled to be released at Lunar New Year in 2028.
At the time of his death, Lin was believed to have had a net worth of around RMB6.8 billion ($1 billion), according to the Hurun China Rich List.
Na Hong-jin Reworking Cannes Creature Film ‘Hope’
Na Hong-jin, the celebrated director behind “Hope” (호프), the Korean action fantasy which debuted this month in main competition in Cannes, is now reported to be re-working the movie.
“We now have roughly two months remaining before the film meets Korean audiences,” Na said in a statement released by distributor Plus M Entertainment. “From now on is the decisive stage of the final postproduction process.”
The film was wildly applauded for its creativity and sustained thrills, but it was also panned for the poor quality of the computer graphics which it leans into in its second half.
Na has not detailed what he plans to change, but he indicated that he intends to take on board audience feedback from Cannes. He has also indicted that he intends to make a sequel.
“Hope” would not be the first film to use Cannes (and other festivals) as a testing ground. And the film’s producers have said that they initially turned down an invitation from Cannes on the grounds that the film was still in post-production. They report that they relented when the festival repeated its invitation and pushed back the deadline for admission.
“Hope”, which has been widely licensed to overseas distributors, is not currently scheduled to make other festival appearances. Its release date in Korea also remains vague. Communications this week from Plus M said only “summer 2026”.
The cast is headed by Hwang Jung-min, Jo In-sung, Jung Ho-yeon, Taylor Russell, Cameron Britton, with Alicia Vikander and Michael Fassbender.
The film is reputed to be the most expensive ever produced in Korea, though the producers have not publicly confirmed the production budget. Some local estimates have pegged “Hope” at KRW70 billion ($52 million) at present -day exchange rates.
Even so, the claim is moot. “Along With the Gods: The Two Worlds” (2017) and “Along With the Gods: The Last 49 Days” (2018) were shot as a single production with a budget of KRW80 billion. The more recent “Alienoid” two-parter (2022 and 2024) was shot the same way and weighed in at KRW70 billion.
The iconic 2013 sci-fi film “Snowpiercer” cost KRW40 billion – at a time when the Korean Won was much stronger against the US dollar and came before huge inflation in the Korean production costs.
The 2007 monster-fantasy-action film “Dragon Wars” (aka “D-War”) may be another contender. Made with an international cast (Jason Behr, Amanda Brooks, Robert Forster) and heaps of CGI, the film was initially produced with a budget of KRW30 million ($35 million at the time). But the massive overruns and reshoots (which required it to be rescued by Showbox), may have pushed the final cost very much higher. Liner notes that accompanied the film’s DVD release described a total budget of $99 million.
Hong Kong’s ‘Afterpiece’ Set as Shanghai Festival Opener
“Afterpiece”, a Hong Kong-produced film about theatre as the reflection of the distorted life of a stage director who is torn between four women, has been set as the opening gala title for the upcoming Shanghai International Film Festival.
The film is the feature directing debut of Keane T.K. Wong and produced by veteran Derek Yee Tung-sing (“One Nite in Mongkok”, “The Shinjuku Incident”). Wong was previously involved in films including “Sword Master” “Kick Ass Girls” and “Aberdeen”.
“Afterpiece” stars Stephen Fung, Chrissie Chau, Myolie Wu and Angela Yuen.
“’Afterpiece’ has been selected as the opening film of the 28th SIFF not only for the artistic courage of a debut feature by a new director, but also for the generational handover and creative renewal it represents,” the festival said in a statement.
“This is not a film about the stage—it is a film about why people drive themselves onto it,” SIFF organisers said. “Owen, once a celebrated stage director, has spent more than a decade lost in creative paralysis. His former lover, Su Manling, re-enters his life under the guise of old affection, while his wife, Tracy, teeters on the edge of betrayal. Determined to reclaim his dignity, Owen sets out to write, direct, and star in a new work of his own. Yet during the open casting process for the female lead, he becomes deeply drawn to Hannah, an untrained newcomer, and gradually slips into a dangerous space between theatre and reality.”
