Award-winning London and LA-based independent studio The Ink Factory (“The Night Manager”, Fighting with My Family, “The Little Drummer Girl”) has teamed with Singapore, Beijing and Tokyo-based Beach House Pictures, a Blue Ant Studios company and one of Asia’s largest indies, for a television series adaptation of Cleopatra Wong – which The Ink Factory has acquired rights to adapt through the partnership. The series will be co-written by Chinese-American writer Tasha Huo (Red Sonja, “Tomb Raider” 2023, The Witcher: Blood Origin) and Thai-British writer Chris Cornwell (“A Discovery of Witches”, “Strike Back”).

“Cleopatra Wong” is the latest project from The Ink Factory’s Asia Slate initiative, which is led by Executive Producer Tessa Inkelaar and backed by Hong Kong and London-based media investment firm 127 Wall Productions – with support from the British Film Institute’s Global Film Screen Fund.

Created by legendary Filipino writer/director Bobby Suarez, Cleopatra Wong was the star of a series of films made in Singapore in the late 1970s. Combining elements of England’s super-spy blockbusters and the popular US Blaxploitation films, she was Asia’s answer to all things action-packed: kitsch, violent and über-cool. Cited as inspiration by filmmakers including Quentin Tarantino, Cleopatra Wong is a cult icon who will be reimagined in The Ink Factory and Beach House’s television adaption inspired by the original series of films – paying homage to the trailblazing hero while moving the story into 21st century Singapore. FIFTH SEASON (fka Endeavor Content) will handle global sales on the title.

Simon Cornwell and Stephen Cornwell, co-Founders and co-CEOs of The Ink Factory, said: “In Cleopatra Wong we have something truly special, and we’re thrilled to be working on it with our Singaporean partners at Beach House. With its heart and its soul in Southeast Asia, the franchise brings a young female action hero and her companions to the screen in a way that will feel fresh, confident, and authentic – and we are confident in Tasha and Chris’ writing partnership to deliver that. Cleopatra’s supreme energy and her burning commitment to justice fit perfectly into the vibrant, diverse, and inherently multicultural landscape of contemporary Singapore and the surrounding region. We’re incredibly proud to be helping give Cleopatra her voice in today’s world, creating something that will be true to the roots of the franchise, retaining both its sheer joy and its sense of social mission, but at the same time feeling utterly contemporary and hugely entertaining for a global audience.”

Donovan Chan and Jocelyn Little, co-founders of Beach House Pictures said: “We have loved and nurtured Cleopatra Wong for many years and are excited to have found like-minded partners in The Ink Factory to bring her onto the world stage. We’re confident that our unique blend of East meets West creativity and perspective will bring something truly innovative to Asian and international television audiences. Cleopatra Wong is the centrepiece of our growing slate of scripted projects, and we are honoured to bring the visions of director Bobby Suarez and Marrie Lee, who played Cleopatra Wong in the original movies, to a whole new level.”

The Ink Factory recently set up an Asia slate and associated financing facility which aims both to deliver adaptations of John le Carré’s work into the major markets of Asia, and to create a global platform for the work of talent and creators from the region. The venture has been established with the support and collaboration of Hong Kong and London-based media investment firm 127 Wall Productions.

The Ink Factory’s current slate includes “The Plotters”, a Korean language television series adaptation of Un Su Kim’s critically acclaimed novel of the same name, with Soo Hugh (“Pachinko”, “The White Darkness”) attached to create and executive produce; a series based on the debut novel of Ghanian-American author Yasmin Angoe – thriller “Her Name is Knight”; an adaptation of C Pam Zhang’s “How Much of These Hills is Gold” with Anita Gou’s Kindred Spirit; and War Doctor, a feature based on British trauma surgeon David Nott’s memoir of working in conflict zones.