Jack Neo produces English TV drama series for okto

Jack Neo produces English TV drama series for okto

By Cheryl Frois, Channel NewsAsia
Posted: 23 February 2009 2113 hrs

SINGAPORE : Singapore filmmaker Jack Neo has produced his first English TV drama serial "Happily Ever After", which will air on MediaCorp's okto channel from Sunday.


Jack Neo (file picture)

He is better known for his Mandarin blockbuster movie "I Not Stupid" and top-grossing local film "Money No Enough". And now, Jack Neo - whose 11 movies have grossed S$33 million to date - is crossing over to English TV drama.

He said: "It is my dream that I want to do drama. This is just the right timing. I wanted to do it because some stories if you make it too short, like a movie, you will not be able to tell the whole story."

"Happily Ever After" is based on real-life issues that confront married couples - from divorce to miscarriage and infidelity - and it was an intense ride for everyone involved.

MediaCorp artiste Ng Hui, who is the lead actress "Happily Ever After", said: "The emotional journey that the characters go through is a lot more intense, and it felt a lot more real. It is also because of the execution of the whole production. Because of how the director wanted us to play out the characters. It felt very real.

"A lot of times we were trying to get a grip of ourselves as well, and there were times when I remember making comments to the scriptwriter, 'Look, if I do not get married next time, I will definitely remember you because of this!'"

Jack Neo said: "Husband and wife after getting married after 10 or 20 years, a lot of things you just take for granted, you cannot see anymore. You may ask yourself, last time during 'pak tor', he or she likes to do some things for you and you feel touched, but now this is no more. What is happening? Is it because the love is gone?"

The eight-episode drama was filmed in 42 days and according to Jack Neo, it was shot on a budget of less than S$100,000 per episode, a challenge for the veteran filmmaker who is used to million dollar movie budgets.

Unlike most English drama series, "Happily Ever After" will be shown non-stop for eight days, with a cliffhanger after every episode. And as directors tell Channel NewsAsia' it was shot in a stylistic, movie format.

The series will be shown on okto from March 1-8 at 9 pm.

This is the channel's 13th original production since it was launched in October last year.

Source: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/410990/1/.html