The upcoming latest HBO Asia Original series Twisted Strings良辰吉時, is set to premiere with two episodes on Sunday 27 March, 9pm on HBO GO and HBO (Astro Ch 411).
Executive produced by internationally acclaimed filmmaker Hou Hsiao-Hsien (侯孝賢) (The Assassin), the seven-episode one-hour long Taiwan thriller-comedy will debut a new episode every Sunday, with the last two episodes airing back-to-back on April 24. In Taiwan and Indonesia, the series will also simulcast on the CATCHPLAY+ streaming service.
The name of the series is inspired by a popular Taiwanese nursery rhyme, which contains lyrics that tell the story of a monkey’s life over seven days. Each episode is loosely based on a line from the song.
Twisted Strings follows a series of bizarre deaths happening in Taiping City. Against an eerie atmosphere, Wu Yuenu (played by award-winning actress, director and screenplay writer Sylvia Chang (張艾嘉) (Love Education, 20 30 40)) witnesses the deaths of people around her. A funeral, a missing body, a dangerous game, a kidnapping; real and unreal, these incidents are woven in Yuenu’s memories, converging in the mysterious Sailing Castle.
The anthology series also has an ensemble of award-winning cast and crew including Golden Horse-winning actor Lee Kang-sheng (李康生) (Stray Dogs, Days). This is Lee’s first lead role in a series after having starred in films for the past 30 years. Additional star-studded line-up includes Nikki Hsieh (謝欣穎) (I Weirdo , Reflections), Yo Yang (楊祐寧) (Ex-boyfriend, Formula 17), Yao Yi-Ti (姚以緹) (The Gangs, The Oscars and The Walking Dead) , Duan Chun-Hao (段鈞豪) (We Are Champions), Hsueh Shih-Ling (薛仕凌) (HBO Asia Original Series Workers, Born Into Loving Hands), Michael J.Q. Huang (黃仲崑) (Father to Son, Wake up), Tracy Chou (周采詩) (HBO Asia Original Series The World Between Us), David Wu (吳大維) (We Are Champions), Buffy Chen (陳姸霏) (The Silent Forest), Rima Zeidan (瑞瑪席丹) (Missing Johnny), JC Lin (林哲熹) (HBO Asia Original Series The World Between Us, A Day To Choose), Bai Runyin (白潤音) (Dear Tenant), as well as Romeo Tan (陳羅密歐) (Soul Old Yet So Young) and Aileen Tan (陳麗貞) (Hello Ms Driver) from Singapore.
Twisted Strings is written and directed by Golden Horse-nominated director, Huang Xi (黃熙), who has worked with Hou on films including The Assassin. Huang’s debut film Missing Johnny was awarded Best Screenplay at the 2017 Taipei Film Awards. It is produced by Shao Dong-xu (邵東旭) with Yao Hung-I (姚宏易) as director of photography, and the film score by Point Hsu (許志遠) and Lim Giong (林強).
Twisted Strings is presented by HBO Asia and CATCHPLAY. It is produced by CATCHPLAY’s newly established production arm, SCREENWORKS ASIA, in partnership with Taiwan’s Bossdom and Singapore’s Mediacorp.
Watch Twisted Strings 《良辰吉時》from March 27 on HBO and HBO GO. Stream or download other HBO Asia and CATCHPLAY Original Taiwan series such as the crime drama series Trinity of Shadows《第三佈局 塵沙惑》and the Golden Bell winning series The World Between Us《我們與惡的距離》on HBO GO and CATCHPLAY+. Subscribe to HBO GO online at https://www.hbogoasia.my/ or the mobile app via the App Store or Play Store for as low as RM23.30/month. You can also access HBO GO via Astro. HBO GO is also available on Android TV, Apple TV, LG TV and Samsung Smart TV – and comes with AirPlay and Google Cast functionality.