Turner Invests in New Tencent Drama Starring 'Tuzki'

Take a bow, Tuzki. The legendary WeChat emoticon has scored a starring role in Tencent Pictures' upcoming Chinese drama, Second Time is a Charm.

The famous rabbit IP is owned by Turner Asia Pacific, a WarnerMedia company, and has established itself as an instantly-recognisable figure in China both on- and off-screen. Its use has been licensed to Tencent for the series and, as part of the agreement, Turner has also made a financial investment in the production.

Tuzki will feature heavily in the show as well as in animated shorts at the end of each episode as part of a special story recap. Momo Wang, the creator of the rabbit IP, is creatively involved in the project to design new characters and adaptations of the show's characters in Tuzki's unique style. Momo's career has also been used as inspiration for An'an, the leading character (played by Olivia Wang) in Second Time is a Charm.

Lisa Li, Turner China Country Head, said: "This is the next evolution of the Tuzki brand together with Tencent. We've worked together already on an animated series and on the upcoming theatrical movie, and of course on the WeChat messaging platform. But this will be the first drama series that features Tuzki, and it's going to appeal to an audience that has grown up using the character to communicate with their friends and who know him as a fashion icon."

Second Time is a Charm will premiere in 2019 and is expected to have approximately 50 episodes. Tuzki has been used as an emoji in excess of a billion times on popular messaging platforms such as WeChat.

The series is directed by Chen Ming-zhang (???). This well-known director/screenwriter has been attached to many TV dramas, including Diamond Lover, one of the most successful in 2016, and others such as MVP Lover, Fated to Love You and Frog Prince.

The cast includes: Olivia Wang (???) who starred in the hugely popular Ode to Joy series. In 2016, she won the national audience's favourite movie star award among China's top-100 TV dramas at the Tripod Awards. Edward Zhang (???) is known for his performances in A Servant to Two Masters, Sparrow and The Devotion of Suspect X.

An'an (Olivia Wang), a big fan of comics and animation, gets married straight after she graduates college. However, when her marriage fails, her husband Yu Feifan decides to both stop providing An'an with a luxurious lifestyle and takes away custody of their five-year-old son, Yu Doudou.

Newly divorced, An'an finds herself struggling with a career. In the most desperate moment of her life, Xu Lang (Edward Zhang), the divorce lawyer hired by Yu Feifan, gives her a helping hand. After a strange combination of circumstances, they find themselves in love despite all their differences.

After overcoming numerous obstacles, An'an becomes an illustrator and creates TUZKI, a cute cartoon character. It turns out to be the fresh start she needs to begin a new adventure that brings her friendship and true love.

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