The supernatural crime series ‘Detective Daji’ will be launched as a project at the Asia TV Forum and Market (ATF) in Singapore next week.
In the American-Taiwanese show, a female police officer, Detective Daji Su, is murdered while on duty. She is given a second chance at life when she is resurrected by an ancient Fox Demon determined to take revenge and reclaim her own place in the demonic world.
The underlying IP was created by American screenwriter Todd DeBonis (“The Monkey King’s Daughter”, “The Nine-Tailed Fox”), while the screenplay for the pilot episode was developed by Sarso Chou, DeBonis, Steve Chicorel and the Taiwanese company Organic Media Group. anchor producer Samantha Kao Lin-shiu.
The show is expected to run for eight one-hour episodes and will feature Taiwanese star Kuo Hsueh-Fu, better known as Puff Kuo. Production is by Taipei and Los Angeles-based Organic Media Group and Taiwan’s Sarso Entertainment.
“Detective Daji” is currently in development and has been chosen as one of five finalists for the ATF Mediacorp Drama Concepts & Co-production Pitch 2024, within ATF. The finalist must deliver a 10-minute English pitch and visual presentation at the Marina Bay Sands Hotel in Singapore on December 5. The winner will receive a cash prize of S$10,000 ($7,460).
“I was surprised that the competition excluded Singaporean production companies, but if we win, we can definitely film in Singapore and help local crews be part of our show,” said Chou, known for the recent Netflix series “Mom Don’t Do That” and the Taiwanese mafia film “GATAO, Like Father Like Son.”
“In order to accept the finalist nomination, we had to pre-sign a contract with ATF sponsor Mediacorp so that they could co-produce the series and hopefully help commission the series, which was a pleasant surprise,” said Chicorel, who previously produced Roku’s first exclusive original produced. crime drama series ‘Cypher’.
“Not all actresses can play twin characters, but Puff Kuo is not only a wonderful talent, she can act, as evidenced by her nomination at this year’s Golden Bell for Best Actress in the TV series ‘At the Moment,’” Kao said . With every criminal case Daji Su investigates, Fox Daji must replenish her ch’i to support them both. She has to feed on people. But Daji Su is a cop, charged with protecting lives, not taking them.
“Detective Daji” was written to be produced and performed all over Asia. The supporting cast reflects the multicultural mix of the primary audience and target area,” said Chou and Chicorel. The production includes martial arts (sword fighting, Kung Fu, Tai Chi), special effects (fantasy, magic, gun play, wire work and fox demon transformations), with the finished work intended to achieve TV-MA’s graphics and fantasy violence . assessment for crime, language and sexual situations).
“We are on the hunt for the next big drama hit that can set new trends in content around the world, with the potential to travel internationally. We will focus on distinctive scripted format ideas that are fresh, new, innovative and entertaining, but also have broad appeal,” said Chou and Chicorel.
Todd DeBonis