Warner Bros Discovery is reteaming with Taiwanese production company DaMou Entertainment to produce HBO Asia original Fired Up! (working title), an adaptation of hit Kakao webtoon Itaewon Class.
The two companies previously worked together on award-winning Taiwanese drama series The World Between Us and Workers.
Fired Up! will also be produced by Koko Entertainment, a company co-founded by DaMou Entertainment and Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICCA) in 2021, which has credits including horror drama Urban Horror, stage show Before Outdated and musical Don’t Cry, Dancing Girls.
Scheduled to start production in December 2023, Fired Up! will star Eric Chou as a young man who is committed to preserving his family’s restaurant and embarks on a quest to uncover the truth behind his father’s tragic death.
Directed by Kao Pin-chuan and Tseng Ying-ting, the series will also star Angela Yuen, Shao Yu-wei, Huang Guan-zhi, Cosmos Lin, Ben Wu and Sean Lin. The show is written by Chien Li-ying, whose credits include popular Netflix show Wave Makers, also produced by DaMou Entertainment.
Created by Korea’s GwangJin, hit Kakao webtoon Itaewon Class has also been adapted into a popular Korean-language series by Netflix.
DaMou Entertainment, which is currently celebrating its tenth anniversary, announced its upcoming slate at the on-going Taiwan Creative Content Fest (TCCF) in Taiwan.
The Taipei-based company also announced the cast for the second season of The World Between Us, which will again be directed by Golden Bell Award-winning director Lin Chun Yang, and star Vic Chou, Simon Hsueh, Nikki Hsieh, Yang Kuei Mei and Sara Yu.
Taiwan’s Public Television Service (PTS) and Catchplay are again collaborating with DaMou Entertainment on the sequel, which is also scheduled to start shooting in December. Scripted by Golden Bell Award winner Lu Shi-yuan, the show will span three different time frames and touch on social issues such as public health, law, politics and mental illness.
Commenting on the collaboration for Fired Up!, Magdalene Ew, Warner Bros Discovery, Head of Content, Streaming, APAC, said: “We’re thrilled to announce another collaboration with DaMou Entertainment, particularly as they celebrate their milestone tenth anniversary. Reflecting our commitment to delivering diverse and captivating storytelling that resonate with audiences in the region and beyond, Fired Up! will be a unique addition to our HBO Asia Originals content portfolio.”
DaMou Entertainment CEO Lin Yu-ling said: “With a remarkable cast led by Eric Chou, along with the creative vision of directors Kao Pin-chuan and Tseng Ying-ting, combined with the storytelling prowess of lead screenwriter Chien Li-ying, Fired Up! integrates traditional Taiwanese recipes with modern culture, spotlighting the courage of Taiwanese youth today.”