First Look At Kevin Cheng And Michael Tse’s New Drama, “Hero”!
Kevin Cheng (郑嘉颖) and Michael Tse’s (谢天华) mainland drama, Hero <英雄> has completed filming recently. Rumors that Kevin was romantically involved with his Hero, costar, Ying Er (颖儿), spiked fans’ curiosity regarding their onscreen chemistry in the new drama. Earlier this week, a 19 minute trailer clip of Hero was released, showcasing the tragic love story that eventually led to the downfall of Kevin’s character.
Hero featured the well-known story of how Emperor Fuchai of Wu (Kevin Cheng) defeated Emperor Guojian of Yue (Michael Tse) during the Spring and Autumn Period (春秋时代). Emperor Fuchai spared the life of Emperor Guojian, who vowed to seek revenge and win back his empire. Emperor Guojian’s minister, Fan Li (Ken Chu 朱孝天) realized that Emperor Fuchai had a weakness for beautiful women. Fan Li found the exquisite beauty, Xi Shi (Ying Er), in a forest and despite the pair falling deeply in love to each other, he offered Xi Shi as a gift to Emperor Fuchai. As Emperor Fuchai became distracted by the women around him, Emperor Guojian strengthened his army and overthrew Emperor Fuchai, who ultimately committed suicide.
Hero will be broadcast in mainland China in summer 2012. The drama appeared to focus on the tragic love triangle between Xi Shi, Fan Li, and Emperor Fuchai heavily, with the the power struggle between the emperors brewing in the background. Early reaction to Hero’s trailer clip has been positive, as they complimented Kevin as being a devastatingly handsome emperor and praised Ying Er’s beauty.
Watch the Trailer Clip of “Hero”!
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Jayne: Kevin suits the role of Emperor Fuchai. No doubt people will see similarities in his character to Eighth Prince from Bu Bu Jing Xin. I do think that Ken Chu was a miscast as Fan Li. A more charismatic actor would have done the character more justice.
Somehow.. not interested.
Sorry lar the trailer is bad. It put me to sleep. Whilst I think Ying er is pretty, he overall do is a bit.. I don’t know.. old fashioned even for an ancient drama series? It is like that German actress in Troy, supposedly Helen of Troy. She is pretty, but not a face that can launch a hundred sampans, more so than a thousand ships. In Yinger’s I think probably 200 sampans but no more. She just doesn’t have that exquisite beauty than can befuddle men’s minds and topple empires.
Haha then who do you suggest to play the role?
No idea but someone smashingly beautiful, at least in ancient settings.
Yeah, not interested at all as im pretty sure “The Conquest” is way superior.
Well Diane Kruger is super-gorgeous :), however only ignorant men risk their kingdom for the sake of a woman.
Who could play the role as Xi Shi? Don’t know, but I think Gan TingTing is a better choice…
I love Diane Kruger. She’s beautiful and has amazing style. But I definitely agree that she isn’t stunningly beautiful.
Kevin’s love interest is very beautiful, but she looks very young. Kevin has the “evil eyebrows” lol.
Super not interested.
Yea I agree. Ying Er in my opinion is not that beautiful either.
Absolutely agreee!!!
I feel Ying Er was casted wrongly in this she doesnt look that great in ancient costumes i think she should stick with modern dramas.
People should go watch The Conquest instead if you’re interested in Fuchai and Goujian. Joe Ma as Fuchai and Damian Lau as Goujian. Pretty legit. Chen Kun stars as Fan Li and Sonija Kwok as Xishi…
Hmm yeah~ Sonija was quite gorgeous in that :/
I’ve watched The Conquest too and so far agreed that Joe Ma and Damian Lau did well for that series. Always like Damian from day one of Glittering Days with Liza Wang.
Saw the 19minute trailer on youtube and don’t like Ying Er, Fan Li also miscast. Too immature looking.
Agreed. I find the cast of the Conquest to be a better fit then Hero. I don’t find Kevin suitable for the role of Fuchai.
Total agree with you. I love to watch the Conquest. All the cast are so good. Especially Joe Ma as Fuchai and Damien as Goujian. Love Sonja in Xishi..
Not interest in Ying’Er as cast Xishi. She is not consider to be a great beauty….
Borringgggggg!!!!!
i think kevin is more suitable to play fanli instead of a king, he doesn’t have a kingly feel
It looks somehow boring and I still dun think KC looks Fuchai :P. He dun look king enough. Ken Zhu is totally a miscast. His fighting scenes are quite disappointed. And Ying’Er looks like the mix of Ariel Lin and Crystal Liu and I can’t really feel her as an ancient mei ren. Sonija was older but she looks more elegant and more of mei ren type. The girl next to Ying’Er can catch my attention more than her. She looks like a small nose version of Linda Chung and her emotions show more natural than Ying’Er. The curvy hair of Micheal Tse is so … funny. But I feel disappointed the most at Mr. Wu Zixi. Haizz, kinda ruin the image of Wu Zixi in me :(. He dun look like a wise strategist.
=)) LOL @ the suicide scene. It looks so funny especially the fake blood.
I think they’re ALL a miscast. This whole drama looks like a drastic series of fluff. IDK. I may be biased, because The Conquest is one of my all-time favorites.
Ken Chu as Fanli…….That takes the cake ! A self confessed attention seeking sex addict ! HaHaHAHaHa !!I just can’t take him seriously as the cool headed, umber intelligent strategist !!
Many artists are often miscasted in some people’s eyes but are well casted in others’ eyes. It just depends on each person’s taste I guess…
Agreed that KC don’t feel like Fuchai and Ying Er is horrible miscast. Michael Tse look misplaced and Ken Zhu also look miscast.
ROFL but who knows the script might be good and can make up the miscast of these artistes?
Uhm let’s hope for the script if you want to watch this series.
I strongly agree with all the comments regard The Conquest is a much better serie compared to this serie.
Kevin doesn’t look like a powerful king. Joe Ma did a great job as Fuchai and he fit the role of Fuchai too.
Damien also acted well for king Yue. Sonija and Chen Kun did a good job for their roles too.
Ying Er is not beautiful to portray her role in this serie.
In the end, I don’t and won’t watch this serie even though I like Kevin.
You should ALWAYS watch a series for much more than for just the cast.
A good story/plot is the most important, however it makes the experience so much more pleasant to watch somebody that doesn’t annoy the hell out of you, LOL.
I agree with you Exiodus! THe story and plotline is and should be the most important, however, having a good cast is a BIG plus too. But I don’t think that people should just go for the cast and ignore everything else…
You have a point, but how many people are there do like what you said?
I think in general if audiences will look at the casts, the story of a serie, the producer, etc…then they decide whether they would watch it or not.
The Conquest not only had good main and supporting actors/actresses but also good cinematography.
100% agree with you…love The Conquest movie…
I havent watch this series yet and after reading your comment above, i think its better for me to watch conquest with joe and damien seems they sound more convincing. I also dun think ying er is that pretty enough to make men goes crazy for her.
You need to watch The Conquest first….
Actors and actresses that are casted for certain characters don’t always fit the physical description. However, they may have something else that makes up for it.
That is if you’re darn good. But if you’re not, it is just eyecandy, as with this production
I was surprised to see Ken Zhu in the trailer. I didn’t know he will be in this series. Honestly, he looks the best among all the male lead. It looks like he has slimmed down a bit and he looks good.
But acting errrr…
Ken Zhu’s beard vs Micheal Tse’s curvy hair, Ken won ah~
Surprisingly Kevin Cheng acting in this drama is similar as other TVB dramas. Thought he has improved from his recent big fame in china & twice awarded best actor!!!
Anyway.. Just enjoy looking at Kevin’s appearance – best looking in TVB 🙂
Maybe he does better with shaved hair?
i think the female lead is very pretty. it’s the guys who are fugly. not so much kevin cheng, but definitely michael tse with his hobo hair (he is ugly enough as it is already) and ken chu, who just looks fat and messy.
yeh im not interested either… im over the kevin cheng stage… he was good in BBJX but now his roles are getting boring…..
I think it’s a bit early to make proper judgments on the film and actors. Most have seen “The Conquest” and are already making comparisons. One has not even viewed the clip of “The Hero” and has already condemned it by saying that he or she will not see it. Isn’t this just prejudice? I’d see the whole series and then maybe make my comments.
Is the Conquest that good? Sonija is beautiful but isn’t she a bit too old? Joe Ma…I suppose dubbed voices?
The TVB actor and actress use it own voices if you watch the TVB version ,oh yes Sonija look too old for the china guy Chen Kun who act as fan lai ,well she look good pair with Joe Ma.
There was a lot of dubbing (as half of the cast were mainland actors) but the dubbing isn’t bad at all. Much better than TVB’s Mandarin dubs for sure LOL. Chen Kun’s voice actor has a pretty nice voice.
Sonija is older but she clicked really well with Chen Kun.
I’m a historical drama buff, and The Conquest is one of my favorites of the lot. I honestly thought I’d go through hell watching it (because it was really long… 40 episodes. My limit is usually at 25), but I went through it pretty fast. It was definitely worth my time.
Correction: TVB version has 42 episodes, China version has 49 episodes
The HK audience really has no patience when compared to the mainland audience LOL
Michael Tse shall take the role Emperor Fuchai and Kevin Cheng shall take the role Guojian of Yue ,Michael have a cocky look ,he shall take this role not Kevin ,Joe Ma have done well in the Fuchai role in conquest but Michael could do better since this guy look more sombong and lan shi .
Uhm yes,it might be more interesting if they switch roles.
She looks so young, suited more to be a palace maid of some kind.
Might give this a miss- not so interested.
Never forget, Xishi was probably in her mid or late teens when she entered the palace. Because if she was older she would have been married. The problem is not age, but looks. Maybe we were harsh. But the girl has too much make up.
I think they should put more emphasis on the struggle of the emperors instead of the love triangle, which will probably make the series more worthy of watching. I recently finished Bu Bu Jing Xin, and I find that they didn’t put enough emphasis on the battle of the throne between the princes, which I thought was supposed to be the main plot and the love/relationships revolving around the female lead being a subplot. Compared to mainland series, I think TVB does a much better job of balancing a series’ main plots and subplots which keeps the series interesting and more watch worthy.
” I recently finished Bu Bu Jing Xin, and I find that they didn’t put enough emphasis on the battle of the throne between the princes, which I thought was supposed to be the main plot”
Actually that is the subplot. The main plot is the love story.
You want the main plot that is the struggle? Watch Yong Zheng Wang Chao. The plotting never ends until the last episode. Excellent entertainment and very enlightening.
TVB doesn’t know how to balance well. What is great about BBJX is eventhough we know 8th and 4th and RX are the main characters, the rest are given enough time to develop as characters. It is a rare feat for so many characters. Look at 4 In Love. It takes how many episodes to talk about how many pairs on just one single issue; love. BBJX had 10 times more issue, double the characters and manages to even drag a bit. BBJX is like a great food to saviour even if yes, it does drag a bit in the end.
BUT TVB knows how to end an episode with cliff hanger very well.
I guess I prefer TVB’s style where the struggles are usually the main plot and love stories being the subplot. A drama using a love story as the main plot becomes more of a ‘chick flick’ to me.
I would like to watch Yong Zheng Wang Chao as recommended but I’ve become a bit hestitant with mainland series after having experienced a few. Their storytelling is rather flat and straight forward; what you see happening is exactly what’s happening :T
“I guess I prefer TVB’s style where the struggles are usually the main plot and love stories being the subplot. “
Is this really true? Yeah, there are a few series like ‘The Conqueror’s Story’, ‘Relic of the Emissary’ and ‘Time and Life of a Sentinel’. But, there are many TVB series that are romance-centered.
Yong Zheng Wang Chao to me is the perfect series even if it has flaws but it fulfills everything I look for in a series, except good looking guys. It is a super smash hit, I believe at one time highest rated and critically acclaimed. If you want politics, YZWC is the one to watch. The performances were near perfect; I still remember the kangxi in this version. The actor’s movements are almost poetic. It is straightforward because the situation is already complicated. Their way of storytelling is old style; meaning story and character first, and the drama flows from it. YZWC changed my mind about those stuffy old CCTV type series and made me embrace what is essentially excellent acting. Moreover it acts as a tour guide; you see real places, real palace, not like nowadays all at Hengdian (issit called that?). BBJX showed me China can produce idol dramas minus the Taiwanese saccharine or Korea’s obsession over love.
Frankly once you open your views, TVB series is becoming less and less interesting except for some quick fixes. It is fast but not necessarily straight to the point.
but once in a while TVB will make a gem series like THC. Tell who didn’t cry while watching THC
TVB is once in a loooooooooooooooooooooooooong while. Very looooooooooooooooooooooong while. I did tear up a little watching THC but when the brother die that was it. I was frustrated. What a way to join 2 people together by pushing tragedy on another character. The tumour, everything was darn predictable. Teary eyed yes, cried my heart out no. But THC is one of the rarer ones that actually is sorta different but I do feel When Lanes Merged was more emotional in some ways except for crazy girl’s acting.
LOL Funn but you must know that THC is what launched KM and TY into stars after their emotional characters: said by HK press ROFL. I know you like KM don’t deny it. Maybe you like the hotties Benjamin and Himhim too
WLM? Forgettable. Bad acting from Kate and even Raymond Wong is forgettable although at that time he did gain some fans LOL.
Uh, BBJX is about a girl who accidentally travels back in time and we viewers follow her adventures. Of course the girl and her love story will be the main plot.
“Of course the girl and her love story will be the main plot.”
Since it is about a girl traveling back in time, her ‘adventures’ would definitely be the main focus, but not necessary her love stories. Wouldn’t one agree that love/relationships are rather minute matters when compared to things such as the throne/history/Qing dynasty?
No, not in her case. She doesn’t have any adventures. She just travel back to die of heart break, in short or to realise what you read in history books is not the same when you know the people for real. Love is trivial, yes but in BBJX their love never got in the men;s way as in their ambition. In TVB she would have been very involved. In BBJX all she could do is to pull away because reality is you’re not always in control, whether politics, fate or your own heart. She fell for the man who caused her most hurt and yet she loved him despite and inspite of everything. BBJX is not about a girl going back for adventures. The main focus is her experience and experience does not always mean meddling into what she can’t meddle in.
Fanna, I should be more clear. There is a simpler explanation why BBJX is the way it is, I do think you know it is based on a book and that is the story in the book. My opinion is the book is based on YZWC since there were so many similarities but if the focus is as you want it to be, it has no difference with YZWCV and will draw comparisons which will be poorer in comparison. hence the necessity to shift the focus.
It doesn’t matter if BBJX is idol drama or not because the writing and details are damn good!
If TVB make BBJX, I can imagine they cast Myolie as RX, made RX meddle with everything and try to set things straight like a hero, and made the whole drama become an OTT comedy.
And nobody greets nobody in the drama. She will just walk past the emperor like he’s her servant or something.