Stephen Chow Photo: VCG

Stephen Chow, the renowned "King of Comedy" in Hong Kong cinema, is poised to launch a comedy variety show in the Chinese mainland, domestic streaming platform iQiyi revealed on Tuesday.

According to iQiyi, Chow will headline the creation of stand-up comedy The King of Comedy, which will mark his first venture into TV production in the mainland.

Over 30 comedians, handpicked from a pool of over 1,000 talents from more than 40 stand-up comedy clubs, are expected to compete onstage. Alongside Chow, heavyweight figures such as Luo Yonghao, Yang Li, and Zhou Qimo will also appear on the show.

This variety show is just part of iQiyi's broader strategy to cultivate the "King of Comedy" IP universe. A collaboration between the Bingo Group and Zouling Culture Media (Shanghai), the partnership will explore multifaceted collaboration in drama, film, animation, and variety shows based on more than 10 iconic movies by Chow, including King of Comedy, God of Cookery, The Mermaid and CJ7.

Chow has been broadening his footprint in the entertainment scene in the Chinese mainland with new ventures. On April 12, production commenced in Chengdu on the short video drama Jinzhu Yuye, which will be released exclusively on Douyin, China's version of TikTok, in May.

In January, Chow and Douyin announced they were jointly developing the "9527 Theater," which will specialize in premium micro-dramas. Jinzhu Yuye serves as the inaugural production for this theater, with Chow producing, Yi Xiaoxing supervising, Ma Shi directing, and Shi Yuanting and Xia Ruoyan starring.

The short drama tells a story about legal intern Ye Xiaolai from the island of Taiwan, who embarks on a quest to unravel the truth behind a scam that ensnared her twin sister. Her investigation leads her to the mainland, where she encounters the suspected culprit, Zhu Hao, only to discover a deeper conspiracy. Zhu and Ye team up on a comedic journey, tracking the fraudsters from Chengdu to Northeast China, encountering a series of thrilling and humorous situations along the way.

Global Times