Wikipedia

Dead Talents Society

Dead Talents Society (Chinese: 鬼才之道) is a 2024 Taiwanese horror comedy film directed and written by John Hsu, starring Chen Bolin, Sandrine Pinna and Gingle Wang. Set in a fictional underworld, the film revolves around ghosts who aspire to become the most successful and renowned stars with their scare tactics and performances among the living.

Dead Talents Society
Directed byJohn Hsu
Written byJohn Hsu
Tsai Kun-Lin
Produced byIvy Chen
Lieh Lee
Aileen Li
StarringChen Bolin
Sandrine Pinna
Gingle Wang
CinematographyPatrick Chou
Edited byJohn Hsu
Music byLuming Lu
Lin Hsiao-Chin
Lin Sih-yu
Production
companies
Distributed bySony Pictures
Release dates
Running time
105 minutes
CountryTaiwan
LanguageMandarin

The film is set to have its world premiere at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival on May 16, 2024, and will be theatrically released on August 17 in Taiwan.

Cast edit

Additionally, Eleven Yao, Huang Di-Yang, Lung Lung, Da-her Lin, Daniel Chan and David Chu have been cast in undisclosed roles.[3] YouTuber Milla is set to have a cameo appearance as a news anchor in the underworld.[4]

Production edit

Development edit

Following the commercial success of the 2019 horror film Detention, director John Hsu decided to take a lighter and comedic approach for his new project.[4] Noticing the growing popularity of ghost-themed films in Taiwan, he collaborated with screenwriter Tsai Kun-Lin to develop a never-before-filmed idea in 2020 which later evolved into Dead Talents Society.[4][5] In February 2021, the duo invested over NT$1 million to shoot a 6.5-minute teaser, which generated significant buzz and online discussions.[4] Originally scheduled to begin filming in late 2021, the duo spent two years refining the screenplay, going through more than twenty versions, which Hsu attributed to the unexpected popularity of the teaser.[1][6] On January 19, 2022, Sony Pictures International Productions (SPIP) and Taiwanese production company Activator announced their collaboration to co-produce the film.[7] This marked SPIP's first Taiwanese production in twenty years since the 2002 film Double Vision, with SPIP funding over half of the film's budget.[8] SPIP also acquired worldwide distribution and adaptation rights.[7] Due to the extensive number of VFX shots, the film underwent an additional year of post-production after filming.[6] An official trailer was released on April 1, 2024.[9]

Casting edit

In February 2021, Chen Bolin and Sandrine Pinna appeared in the teaser and confirmed their involvement in the lead roles,[10] and YouTuber Milla was set to make a cameo appearance.[4] In December 2022, Gingle Wang, Ching-i Pai and Soso Tseng were added to the cast.[2] Eleven Yao, Huang Di-Yang, Lung Lung, Da-her Lin, Daniel Chan, and David Chu were later revealed to be part of the ensemble through the official trailer released in April 2024.[3]

Filming edit

Principal photography was initially scheduled to begin in 2021, but was delayed until December 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[8][1] The underworld hotel in the film was primarily shot at Champagne Hotel in Jiaoxi, Yilan.[11] The production crew spent a month renovating the ninth floor and constructing a fake elevator set to recreate the 1970s-80s vibes.[11] Filming also took place in Zhongshan District, Keelung,[12] and concluded in January 2023.[13]

Release edit

The film is set to have its world premiere at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival on May 16, 2024,[14][15] and will be theatrically released on August 17 in Taiwan.[16]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d e Hsieh, Allie (December 22, 2022). "恐怖喜劇片《鬼才之道》終於開拍！過氣鬼陳柏霖打造「陰間劇組」，帶菜鳥女鬼王淨創造都市傳說！" (in Chinese). Cosmopolitan. Archived from the original on April 1, 2024. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c 羅子欣 (December 22, 2022). "張榕容扮鬼過敏「週週往醫院跑」陳柏霖保證翻轉觀眾想像" (in Chinese). TVBS News. Archived from the original on April 1, 2024. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
  3. ^ a b 唐千雅 (April 1, 2024). "鬼才知道當鬼真的不簡單　陳柏霖、張榕容、王淨各自有冥堂" (in Chinese). Mirror Media. Archived from the original on April 12, 2024. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d e Ku, Daniel (February 17, 2021). "顛覆三觀的恐怖喜劇《鬼才知道》，陳柏霖扮演陰間魯蛇槓上「演技派鬼后」張榕容" (in Chinese). Vogue. Archived from the original on September 21, 2021. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
  5. ^ "看張榕容「大法師」爬行！徐漢強新作《鬼才之道》輪到張榕容、陳柏霖扮鬼嚇人啦" (in Chinese). Esquire. February 17, 2021. Archived from the original on April 13, 2024. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
  6. ^ a b Wong, Silvia (April 3, 2024). "Sony-backed Taiwanese horror comedy 'Dead Talents Society' sets release plans". Screen Daily. Archived from the original on April 6, 2024. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
  7. ^ a b Tartaglione, Nancy (January 18, 2022). "'Dead Talents Society': Sony Pictures International & Taiwan's Activator To Co-Produce Paranormal Comedy" (in Chinese). Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 21, 2022. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
  8. ^ a b 江昭倫 (January 19, 2022). "索尼影業睽違20年再投資國片 《鬼才之道》進軍國際" (in Chinese). Radio France Internationale. Archived from the original on April 1, 2024. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
  9. ^ 陳穎 (April 1, 2024). "張榕容驚爆人氣蒸發！過氣天后賞王淨一巴掌　大嘆：力爭上游找出路" (in Chinese). SET News. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
  10. ^ 林芷卉 (February 27, 2021). "張榕容驚曝靈異體質！「大法師下腰」全身痛5天嚇壞網友" (in Chinese). SET News. Archived from the original on October 19, 2021. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
  11. ^ a b 廖福生 (March 12, 2023). "獨／陳柏霖、張榕容合體搞鬼　《鬼才之道》拍攝場景搶先開箱" (in Chinese). TVBS News. Archived from the original on April 1, 2024. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
  12. ^ "111年度影視協拍業務聯繫紀錄一覽表" (in Chinese). Keelung City Government. January 3, 2023. Archived from the original on April 13, 2024. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
  13. ^ 黃雅琪 (January 31, 2023). "陳柏霖19歲嫩照曝！合體林依晨嗨唱". Yahoo! News (in Chinese). Now News. Archived from the original on February 2, 2023. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
  14. ^ Merican, Sara (April 10, 2024). "Taiwan's Golden Horse To Present Five Upcoming Projects At Cannes Market". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 10, 2024. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
  15. ^ Wong, Silvia (April 10, 2024). "Golden Horse to bring five Taiwanese projects to Cannes". Screen Daily. Archived from the original on April 13, 2024. Retrieved April 14, 2024.
  16. ^ 鍾志均 (April 1, 2024). "王淨《鬼才之道》跳樓來真的！遭張榕容甩巴掌不手軟" (in Chinese). Liberty Times. Archived from the original on April 11, 2024. Retrieved April 13, 2024.

External links edit

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