Real-life lovers Li Jiahang and Li Sheng will star in the Chinese remake of "Mad About You." (Photo : www.thehollywoodreporter.com)
The remake of 1990s hit sitcom "Mad About You," known locally as "Xin Hun Gong Yu" (The Wedding Apartment), will make a comeback in the world's most populous nation in January of next year.
The news comes after CCTV6's HuaCheng Pictures, Croton Media and Huaso Film/TV Digital Production, the joint-venture production company of Sony Pictures Television (SPT), have inked a deal with the Shanghai Media Group, selling the show's exclusive, first-run satellite TV rights.
The Chinese remake will air on Dragon TV at the start of 2016.
Additionally, online streaming giant Youku Tudou has acquired rights to the series, making its episodes available to netizens after the show's satellite TV premiere.
The Chinese edition of the sitcom will star real-life husband and wife Li Jiahang and Li Sheng. It is written by the well-acclaimed Chinese comedy writer Shu Huan ("Lost in Hong Kong" and "Lost in Thailand").
SPT's International Production President Andrea Wong said: "With Xin Hun Gong Yu, we have combined SPT's expertise in Hollywood storytelling with strong local writing talent to create a comedy that captures the spirit of the original series in a way that is authentically Chinese."
"We are pleased to be working with both Dragon TV and Youku Tudou to bring this series to a broad Chinese audience," she added.
This project serves as the latest comedy adapted by SPT in Asian versions. Previously, they have premiered the Indian versions of "I Dream of Jeannie" and "Everybody Loves Raymond."
Meanwhile, Huaso has also produced versions of other SPT Chinese formats, including "Dr. Oz" for Zhejiang Television and "Dancing Nation" for CCTV.
