Singapore-based media and entertainment company mm2 Asia and Taiwan’s Man Man Er are starting development on series ”Tales of Mystery” (working title), a series borne from the strategic partnership of the pair with Taiwanese intellectual property company Million Star (Huaxing) Entertainment, which was revealed in December 2022.
The series was announced at Hong Kong’s ongoing FilMart market.
The project is adapted from the bestselling supernatural book series of the same name by popular Taiwanese writer Teensy, who is also the author and creator of “Agent From Above,” which has been adapted into a series for Netflix by mm2.
“Tales of Mystery” tells the of a mysterious Granny who grants wishes through the use of talismans she writes out on long slips of yellow paper. Each wish will be granted, as long as the wisher agrees to her price and accepts the consequences of their desires.
There are currently seven books in the “Tales of Mystery” series, which was first published in 2018. Screenwriter Chen Wen Tzu will adapt the books. “It is human nature to yearn for what we cannot have. The consequence of wish fulfillment is a universal theme of stories from around the world. But in the ‘Tales of Mystery,’ there is this amazing breadth of humor, horror and heart-warming warmth that makes the stories a solid foundation for series adaptation,” Chen said.
Ng Say Yong, managing director of mm2 Entertainment, added: “Teensy is a powerful storyteller in the fantasy genre, well-known for integrating nativist mythology and occult legend into stories of the modern, urban world. Tales of the supernatural are always a fun escape from reality.”
“The lead character of Fu Zhi Po Po is a highly empathic character, with a quiet strength and an air of mystery, who has to navigate the expressed and unexpressed desires of her clients,” said Chen Chi Yuan, general manager, Man Man Er. ”She is also a shapeshifter who appears ageless to those who meet her. This will be an exciting role and we are on the lookout for the perfect actor to be cast as the female lead.”
Jade Lee, CEO of Million Star (Huaxing) Entertainment, added: “The ‘Tales of Mystery’ books have sold hundreds of thousands of copies across Asia, and we are excited that the stories will now be able to reach an even wider audience.”