Lauded as one of the most successful scripted formats of recent years, yes Studios’ Your Honor is now set to be adapted for Chinese audiences. The news comes as a result of a recently signed license deal between yes Studios and William Lau’s Hong Kong-based Ladder Ideas Limited.
This latest deal represents the 10th time the format has been adapted, following the US, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, South Korea, Turkey, India and Russia, and will be the first-ever Israeli drama to be remade in Chinese.
Originally titled Kvodo when it launched on yes TV in 2017, Your Honor (S1 12×35’; S2 10×40’) is a compelling legal thriller telling the story of a respected senior judge whose son is involved in a hit-and-run accident, leading to difficult choices, moral dilemmas, and terrible consequences as he attempts to keep the crime a secret.
William Lau, who is also COO of MediaQuiz Production and Distribution Company Limited (Empress of China, Scarlet Heart: Ryeo and Chibi Maruko-chan live-action TV series), worked with Boat Rocker’s SVP, Strategic Partnerships, Asia, Henry Or, to help broker the format deal with yes Studios. Lau comments: “Your Honor is one of the top scripted formats and we are so excited to have this great opportunity to remake it in Chinese. We will team up with a stellar cast and creative team to bring this award-winning legal thriller to Chinese audiences. Moreover, the Chinese remake of Your Honor will be action-packed, which makes it unique from other adaptions.”
Sharon Levi, managing director of yes Studios, adds: “With its relatable father-and-son relationship at its heart and universal themes around family and parents protecting their children at any cost, Your Honor continues to appeal to producers, broadcasters and, of course, audiences worldwide. We are absolutely thrilled to have established this new partnership with William and could not be more excited about collaborating on a Chinese version of this incredible, character-driven hit show. There have been very few international scripted drama adaptations in the region, so we are extremely proud to be among the first, collaborating with William’s team in Hong Kong. It also means a lot to us that we will be the first company to see an Israeli story remade for Chinese audiences.”
The Chinese version of Your Honor is in pre-production in Hong Kong, with a broadcaster expected to be confirmed in March.
Your Honor was created by Ron Ninio and Shlomo Mashiach and produced by yes TV and Koda Communications. yes Studios represents the original drama and the format worldwide. The series has been an Official Selection at nearly 20 international festivals, including SerienCamp in Germany and the Chicago International TV Festival and was the Grand Prix Winner at Series Mania in 2017.
