Filming of wuxia fantasy romance drama Moonlight Mystique kicks off
Now I’m not a big Ao Rui Peng fan, nor did I enjoy Ancient Love Poetry, so that drama’s sequel, the upcoming Moonlight Mystique, isn’t really targeted at me.
That being said, from what I know about the plot and Ao Rui Peng’s acting style, the role of Fan Yue / Demon Lord Jing Yuan may just be tailor made for the 28-year-old Chinese actor.
And, now that Moonlight Mystique began filming today with Ao Rui Peng (The Blood of Youth) and his co-star Bai Lu (Till the End of the Moon) we are just that step closer to finding out.
Along with the announcement of the Moonlight Mystique filming kicking off, we also got a handful of booting ceremony photos today featuring Bai Lu (most of them) and Ao Rui Peng, as well as a full main cast photo.
Thanks, eh?! As, I think this one could be an interesting pairing.
After all, Ao Rui Peng has a cheeky side to him, while Bai Lu is brilliant at portraying strong, mature women. Put them together, and I think the sparks could just fly.
Oh, and just to go back to the prequel Ancient Love Poetry for a second, I don’t think it matters if you watched or liked the Chinese wuxia romance as, from what I have heard, the backstory on this new one has been changed so much, you might as well forget what you know about it anyway.
Moonlight Mystique production information
As for what we know about the production details for C-drama Moonlight Mystique, the wuxia romance is based on the novel “Bai Shuo Shang Shen” (白烁上神), which was written by Xing Ling (星零).
The Chinese fantasy melodrama is being directed by Chu Yui Bun and Gu Zhi Wei — the pair also co-directed Story of Kunning Palace, so they are already used to working together and, from what I know about that drama, what they create is likely to be stellar.
Moonlight Mystique was written by Yan Mo Yi, the same screenwriter (along with Ren Zhuang Liu ) who also wrote the soon-to-be-released Story of Kunning Palace.
That means we are getting the same team who are obviously familiar with each others’ styles back together for this one as well.
Along with Ao Rui Peng and Bai Lu, the C-drama co-stars Dai Lu Wa (Lost You Forever), and Chang Hua Sen (A Journey to Love). Veteran actor Han Dong (Happiness Jun Cao), who in my opinion doesn’t receive anywhere near the amount of attention he should for his talent, is also a main supporting actor.
The C-drama’s plot, by the way, is described on Baike Baidu like this:
“The mortal girl Bai Shuo (played by Bai Lu) has been devoted to seeking the path of immortality since childhood. By chance, she meets the demon king of the Extreme Domain, Fan Yue (played by Ao Rui Peng), and the two embark on a journey to unlock the ancient divine artifact, the Thoughtless Stone.
To gather the five essences—’love, hatred, killing, greed, and kindness’—they undergo trials in Ning’an City, the City of Strangers, Silent Mountain, Stone City, and Bodhi Village.
Fighting evil spirits and vanquishing malevolent demons side by side, their relationship evolves from mutual exploitation to blossoming affection, ultimately becoming a heartwarming tale of mutual devotion.”
As per usual with Chinese dramas that are 40 episodes long, and epic in nature, filming is scheduled to run for around three to four months.
Release-wise, my guess is we are probably talking about a premiere some time in early January, 2025 at the earliest.
Update: January 3rd, 2025 – It seems I was bang on the money, as we have just had word from iQIYI we will get to see Bai Lu as Bai Shuo and Xing Yue, and Ao Rui Peng as Fan Yue and Jing Yuan (yep, they both play dual characters) starting on January 7th when the C-drama’s first few episodes drop.
Not even being a particular Ao Rui Pen fan, I have grown to like him more since recently watching him in Hero is Back (a not-so great drama, but his performance is solid in it), which means I am probably just as invested in Moonlight Mystique as you.
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