Endemol Shine Remake ‘Humans’ For Chinese Market
Whilst we usually only cover UK and US releases here at Geektown, this story popped up in own inbox, and we thought the UK fans would be interested to see it. Endemol Shine has just announced that they are partnering with Chinese production house Croton Media, Kudos and Matador to create a local Mandarin-language adaptation of critically acclaimed drama ‘Humans’.
Just as in the UK original, ‘Humans’ is set in a parallel present where the latest must-have gadget for any busy family is a ‘Synth’ – a highly-developed robotic servant eerily similar in appearance to human beings. These incredible machines share our homes, our jobs and our lives and so become the objects of our fear, lust, hatred, affection and even love.
Filming has recently begun on the Mandarin series in Shanghai, with the cast led by Ray Ma and Stephy Qi. One interesting little change is that the new version of the show is specifically set in the fictional year 2035, rather than an alt-present, or undetermined “near-future”. In this time period, technology, in particular, artificial intelligence, has infiltrated and influenced every aspect of our daily existence. The series will keep the sinister, thrilling and emotional narrative of the original English language version, while continuing to boldly explore the rapidly evolving relationship between humanity and technology, asking what it really means to be Human.
“Humans marks our first scripted formats partnership deal with a local partner in China and having enlisted both UK and Chinese writers it’s truly a collaborative venture,” comments William Tan, Managing Director of Endemol Shine China. “Sci-fi drama is an underrepresented genre across the region and we really believe that this new take will set a new trend and that Endemol Shine China will continue to be the leader in creativity and innovation, making unique offerings to the market.”
The Mandarin series is based on Humans UK, as produced by Kudos for Channel 4 and AMC, which was adapted from the original Swedish series of ‘Real Humans’ produced by Sveriges Television and Matador Film.
Season 3 of ‘Humans’ finished its eight-episode run earlier this month on Channel 4 in the UK and AMC in the United States, to widespread critical acclaim. Its launch in 2015 was Channel 4’s most watched drama for over 20 years and it has since been sold across 178 territories by Endemol Shine International.
The company will also distribute the Chinese version internationally, so it’s possible we may get to see this new version of ‘Humans’ at some point in the UK, but we’ll have to wait and see. For now, if you’re wondering what it may look like, Endemol Shine sent us a couple of preview posters which you can see below.
