Chilam Cheung and Francis Ng at “Triumph in the Skies 2” Press Conference

TVB held a press conference for its mega-project, Triumph in the Skies 2 <衝上雲霄II>, yesterday. The sequel to the 2003 pilot series featured an impressive cast, including Francis Ng (吳鎮宇), Chilam Cheung (張智霖), Myolie Wu (胡杏兒), Fala Chen (陳法拉), Ron Ng (吳卓羲), Kenneth Ma (馬國明), Elena Kong (江美儀), and Rebecca Zhu (朱晨麗. At yesterday’s event, the cast flanked executives from Hong Kong Airlines, who will be sponsoring the filming of the drama in Great Britain, France, Taiwan, and Hainan Island!

TVB Finally Wins Chilam Cheung

Since Chilam Cheung appeared in the sales presentation for Triumph in the Skies 2 in December 2011, fans have been eager to see Chilam portray a handsome pilot. As the 40-episode drama would require 6 months to film, Chilam was naturally hesitant. “Since the drama will take half a year to film, I considered the filming offer for a very long time.”

Months of extended negotiations took place before TVB was able to convince Chilam to star in Triumph in the Skies 2! Chilam confessed that he agreed to the filming offer as a personal favor to TVB executive, Tommy Leung (梁家樹). Chilam’s popularity rose significantly after he appeared in 1996’s Cold Blood, Warm Heart <天地男兒> due to Mr. Leung allowing him the acting opportunity.

Nevertheless, Chilam was excited to appear in Triumph in the Skies 2 after agreeing to join the cast. He will be wearing clothes from his own personal wardrobe, valued at a 6-figure sum, to suit his “playboy” pilot role. Chilam said, “For the sake of Tommy Leung, I will pour in my own money! There is no other choice, as I am such close friends with Tommy!”

Fala Chen in Love Triangle with Chilam Cheung and Francis Ng

Chilam will be romantically paired with Fala Chen, whose love destiny will also be entangled with Francis Ng. Despite Fala’s relationship with Francis starting off in a bickering manner, she will grow closer to the experienced pilot. Fala indicated that she was unclear regarding the romantic outcome of the love triangle yet.

Asked whether she will have any kissing scenes with Chilam, Fala said she did not know, but joked, “When we film in France, perhaps we will kiss under the romantic atmosphere!”

Myolie Wu to Portray Two Characters

Despite Myolie and Francis’ romance driving the plot in the original Triumph in the Skies, TVB scriptwriters have decided to kill Myolie’s “Zoe” character. At the press conference yesterday, Myolie stated that her “Zoe” character will only star opposite Francis in 2 episodes!

However, Myolie will portray a second role in the drama as an aircraft repair technician. Although the producer requested that Myolie cut her hair short to suit her tomboy character, she was reluctant to do so. “I spent a lot of time growing my hair to its current length!

Francis Ng Clarifies Rumors with Myolie Wu

While filming the original Triumph in the Skies, it was rumored that Francis Ng did not get along with Myolie Wu, who was a newcomer at the time. At the press conference yesterday, Francis and Myolie laughed off the rumors. Francis joked that Myolie for gaining more weight than in previous years, while teasing Ron Ng, “Hey, you’re early today!” Francis’ joke indicated that Ron may have a lateness habit.

Francis revealed that due to the grueling filming schedule of the original Triumph in the Skies, a group of TVB artists had played paper-rock-scissors to determine who would call in sick for the day, allowing the cast a much needed break. Known for her hard work ethics, Myolie Wu did not participate in the games and showed up at the filming studio early instead.

Kenneth Ma Paired with Elena Kong

In Triumph in the Skies 2, Kenneth Ma will be involved in a younger man, elder woman relationship with Elena Kong. He declared that in real life, he will not reject a relationship with a 20 year difference! At an earlier event, Kenneth also indicated that he preferred older women, while regarding younger girls as more difficult to maintain.

Triumph in the Skies 2 will start filming in August. The drama also stars Kelly Fu (傅嘉莉), Sin Lap Man (單立文), William Chak (翟威廉),  Adrian Chau (周志文), Skye Chan (陳倩揚), Sherry Chan (陳爽), Jess Shum (沈卓盈), and  Crystal Li  (李雪瑩) .  Although Him Law (羅仲謙) and Nancy Wu (胡定欣) were not present at yesterday’s press conference, they will be portraying a romantic couple in the drama.

    

Source: ihktv.com, Oriental Daily

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Jayne: While I have reservations towards the emphasis of romantic couplings in promoting “Triumph in the Skies 2,” which seem to lean towards glamorous pilot/ flight attendant pairings, I like the cast very much! I am especially excited to see Chilam as a “playboy” pilot, which may resemble Joe Ma’s character from the first installment! 

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Responses

  1. Myolie Wu looked pretty old and bad in the above photo vs. Fala Chen who was pretty and sweet.

    1. I think it’s her hairstyle that made Myolie to look “older”.

    2. I disagree, I thought Myolie looked good. But I loved, loved Fala’s dress and her hairstyle was very youthful.

      1. same here! i thought Myolie look Feminine and beautiful

      2. yeh but myolie’s jumpsuit looks better than fala’s floppy dress.

  2. Is myolie wearing flats? Why does she look so short?

    I assume those long-legged girls like sherry Chan and Jess shum will play hot flight attendants. Chilam is lucky, indeed.

    Ron looks ok, can’t really see his red eyes.

  3. “Chilam will be romantically paired with Fala Chen, whose love destiny will also be entangled with Francis Ng. Despite Fala’s relationship with Francis starting off in a bickering manner, she will grow closer to the experienced pilot.”

    When I read that information above I think Chilam’s role might be Joe’s in the first installment, Fala’s character will be Flora, and Francis will be Francis.

    What role will Ron play? Who will he pair up with? Fala’s face seems swollen.

    I thought as an actor/actress needs to listen to the director’s advice. The director wants Myolie to cut her hair but she is hesitated.

    I like all the casts especially Chilam, Kenneth, and Ron.

    1. ron is still ron (francis’ brother) and paired up with the second myolie recarnation

  4. I like Kenneth’s new hair cut for this drama than the curly hair. But, Kenneth seems tired in the picture eventhough he seems the only actor, who smiles in the group picture with the sponsors.

    Does anyone think Sherry Chan look like Kenix Kwok?

  5. Oh bouy!! What happens to Rebecca zhu?
    Her boobbs getting smaller and smaller these days?

  6. I hope the cast has better chemistry in the show than they did at the press con… Aside from Ron and Kenneth, the other leads all seemed uncomfortable with each other.

  7. Myolie looks older in this picture than Fala but I like Myolie’s dress than Fala’s.

    1. Myolie’s dress is more classy vs. Fala’s. But Myolie looks ugly with a rather sad face.

      I think Myolie looks better and smarter with short hair. Her long hair almost covers her small face.

  8. Dang, myolie sounds like she has a bigger say since claiming tvb’s #1 fadans! She gets to keep her hair length!

    So excited to see more of Elena Kong!

    1. Myolie is trying to work it out with the producer. As an artist, you’re expected to fulfill your duties. Hair grows back anyway. So, is Myolie acting all big sister-ish now?

      1. I won’t say she’s acting as a big sister there since she has the “right” to voice her opinion. That means if an artist who has reached certain level like 1st line fadan..i’m sure they can reject any idea/offer that was told to them. Since she has that “status” now, nothing wrong with voicing her opinion since she’s not scared of offending anyones.

      2. Myolie should not cut her hair short! Myolie is always the one required to cut her hair short. Go cut Fala, Linda or Kate’s hair instead.

        Anyway, Fala refused to kiss, but now that she gets Chilam and Francis she’s okay with french kissing?! WTH!!

      3. Get a grip. Myolie will be a tomboyish maintenance worker that’s why the producer want her to cut her hair to make the char more convincing.

      4. I hope Myolie does not cut her hair, and definitely not to the length the producer suggested.

        And will Myolie be wearing a helmet if she’s a maintenance worker? if she cuts her hair extremely short and wear a helmet, she will look really bad.

      5. @Annoyed

        Fala cut her hair for Madam Jo. Kate also sported the tomboy look early in her career. I believe Linda is the only one with long hair, but it suits her image.

    2. Elena Kong will be the best actress in the drama series, with good and solid acting. I don’t know why TVB never gives her a 1st lead role, probably because she is not a management-contract artiste.

  9. Is Elena Kong the oldest main cast in this drama ,is her older than francis ng ?
    since Kenneth is in mid 30 do this mean Elena Kong will be in 50an in this drama like 20 year difference?
    So who is the main ,Julian cheung or Francis ng ?
    Is Kenneth the 3rd main lead or Ron ng the 3rd main lead?

    1. Francis Ng is the oldest in the cast. He is 50 years old while Elena Kong is only 40 years old. Moreover, Francis Ng looks very much older than Elena in appearance.

      However, if Elena Kong is paired up with Kenneth Ma, she is surely older than Kenneth who is 38 years old and has a baby face (which makes him look younger than his age).

    2. In real life, Elena is only older than Kenneth by 7 years. Not really a huge gap.

      1. No, In real age, I think Elena Kong is 40 years old, and Kenneth is 38, about 2+ years difference in age. Kenneth Ma has a baby face though, which makes him look younger.

      2. @ sandcherry

        Thanks for the correct. I googled Elena Kong and the first result showed that she was born in 1967. But, when I click inside, it said 1971. I guess it has been updated lately and good showed old info. But, I wonder which is the real age.

      3. If 1971, then she looks mature for her age. If 1967, she looks good. I think she is 1967 because she looks in her 40s.

    3. Elena looked young and pretty as the chinese medicine doctor in Daddy Good Deeds.

    4. surprised by this pairing, but ma ming and elena are both great at acting 🙂

  10. is him law and william chak only have a minor role in this drama?

    1. I don’t think so? They would most likely replace S4, since the original S4 has now risen in ranks.

  11. So looking forward to see Chilam. His looks fit the playboy type. 😉

  12. Nice eye catching dress of Fala. But why they dun wear pilot or waitress dress?

    Ron’s hairdo after 10 years makes him look older than he truly is.

    1. Ron did not look young and handsome in the above photo, especially with his eyeglasses.

    2. It was the press conference. The costume fitting is coming up.

  13. mmm yummy playboy chi lam 🙂
    Myolie looks Gorgeous!

  14. “Triumph in the Skies” was Nancy Wu’s very 1st drama series in TVB, and she will be one of the actresses in the sequel. We will see the big difference in Nancy’s acting.

    Compared with Nancy Wu’s big improvements, I don’t think there will be a huge difference in Myolie Wu’s acting though in this sequel.

      1. @Saywhut: Honestly, ‘hater’ this word is seriously not only being misused but also overused.

  15. I like Fala Chen dress. Very unique design.

    As usual, I’m focusing on the supporting cast. Haha.
    I like Skye Chan and William Chak. Sin Lap Man is also a welcomed addition to me. I hope he played a good guy in this series. He’s always casted in sleazy roles.

    1. I like Fala’s dress too. Fala looks very fresh in it.

  16. myolie looks good. outfit is v cool and different. not the conventional dress.
    hope to see her acting across francis ng again.

  17. omg the cast looks sooooo weak..
    and fala’s dress makes her look fat. don’t like it. myolie looks good!

  18. Fala’s dress is lovely. She does know how to dress elegantly and looking feminine although a bit more lipstick would be nice. Kenneth looks handsome. Francis Ng never ages. Chilam looks youthful only if she just shave. Myolie as usual looks good but don’t like her dress.

    But am I excited about this series? No.

    1. Chilam needs to keep that image for his new movie ‘Uncle I Love You’

  19. seems like fala is leading over myolie in TITS2 because her role is connected to the 2 male leads (chilam and francis) whereas myolie have to settle for the ron who is second/third male lead.

    1. Myolie and Chilam will be siblings and Myolie will have a minor love line with Francis, the whole ex-wife lookalike story.

    2. It may be because TVB wants to promote Ron? Wasn’t there news of TVB management assuring his fans that Ron is leading in TITS2? I mean, why will TVB spend so much on a series to promote an actor who films a series every 10 years. Doesn’t mean he will be leading over Francis and Chilam but will probably be given equal screentime.

  20. I wonder, will MM have love rumour with Elena Kong after this? Like the one with Maggie Tsang.

    1. Could be.. since he himself said that he likes older woman. Elena & Kenneth.. not bad at all.

  21. I thought you’re a KM fan and will watch all his series LOL

  22. I hope that Myolie and Fala have a really close relationship in the drama (just like Belle and Zoe) The cast is a pretty DREAM class…i think that it is going to be a drama that will recieve a heck amount of awards though…

    1. Sorry, Myolie and Fala have no chemistry. I want more Myolie and Nancy scenes.

      1. wish there are lots of Myolie and Nancy scenes too

  23. Myolie seems to be wearing a lot of pant suits recently…

  24. I think I’m more interested in the scenery than the storyline for this one…

    Was it Cathay Pacific that sponsored the original TITS? My memory is hazy.

    I thought Myolie and Chilam paired well together in The Rippling Blossom; pity they won’t be pairing up again in this drama.

    1. I was also more interested in the scenery than the storyline in the first one, lol. But the S4 storyline was refreshing to watch. I also really liked Sam.

      Yes, Cathay Pacific sponsored the first one. TVB planned to get them to do it again for this one, but they rejected, which is why it took so long to get Triumph 2 running.

    2. Tegan,
      Although “Triumph in the Skies” is dubbed as a drama about the airline industry, it is really an “international romantic travelogue” of beautiful people. 🙂 Adding Chilam and Fala to the cast certainly reinforces this attraction.

      The filming in London, Paris, and Hainan Island will no doubt be dazzling! I’m sure we will see some passionate kissing under the Eiffel Tower!

      The first “Triumph in the Skies” featured some memorable kisses of Flora and Francis in Florence.

      Yes, it was Cathay Pacific who had sponsored the first series.

      One of our readers pointed out that Chilam and Myolie’s new technician character will portray siblings, so they will still have screen time together.

      1. That’s nice to know. 🙂 Hopefully there will be some cute sibling scenes.

  25. I’m pretty disappointed that despite almost 10 years passing, all the pilots are still men and the attendants are women. At least Michelle Ye was pilot in the first one. I would have liked female pilot/male mechanic or attendant pairing.

    1. Fala will be a pilot. Myolie will be a tomboy aircraft technician. Not all the women are feminine attendants in skirts.

  26. I’m disappointed that they killed off Zoe and switched Fala and Myolie’s roles, I thought Myolie suppose to have a love triangle with Chilam and Frances, why is she now demoted to pair up with Ron huhuhuhhhh I guess TVB is trying to promote Fala …

    1. Myolie was not going to have any love relationship with Chilam.

  27. Myolie looks nice in this hairstyle. Yeah!!! get to watch Chilam, Kenneth and Ron all in one series. Really looking forward to this

  28. My prediction: Playboy Chilam will go after Fala who is coping from her ex-bf’s death. He’ll change his playboy lifestyle because of her. Yup. Very TVB.

  29. I like the cast in this. I’m hoping for a Flora cameo in there.

  30. Whose willing to bet it will take 2 years to finish and release it then?

    1. LOL, maybe we could start a JayneStars betting pool on when this drama will make it to air?

    2. LOL 2 years too much! 6 months to film meaning it will finish in Jan 2013. 9-10 months to edit and just right in time for big time anniversary series

  31. No. Myolie is still very professional. They would find a way around it. But I don’t understand why they need to kill Zoe character. Hated to see fala chan’s pairing with the two hunks. Thought myolie should pair with them instead

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