Still of TV drama "Cell Phone" [qq.com]

A TV version of Feng Xiaogang's 2003 film "Cell Phone" will hit China's small screens tonight (May 10), Beijing News reports.

The drama can be seen on Beijing Satellite Channel, Dragon TV, Zhejiang Satellite TV and Shenzhen Satellite TV.

The biggest attraction is to see Chen Daoming, one of the best actors in China, and Wang Zhiwen, another acting veteran, perform in the same drama.

According to Beijing News, Chen admitted to taking a voluntary pay cut for this role. He said the producers told him that they wanted to invite some good performers to co-star with him, but their budget was limited. As a result, Chen reduced his salary demands to let them hire other well-known and talented actors.

Chen explained that he does not have the ability to carry a whole drama on his own, without the support of other cast members. According to the actor, producing an excellent drama is more important than taking home a huge salary. Rumors suggest that Chen's previous salary was 200,000 yuan (US$29,304) per episode.

Liu Zhenyun, author of the novel "Cell Phone" on which the TV series is based, was the drama's art director. He gave a thumbs-up to Chen's performance, saying it was sharp and daring.

"Cell Phone" is directed by Shen Yan, who also made another well-known TV drama, "Chinese Style Divorce".

Actresses Mei Ting, Liu Bei and Ke Lan are among the cast.

Background:

Feng Xiaogang's 2003 movie "Cell Phone" was the most popular and successful domestic film of that year. It was adapted from a novel of the same name, which tells the story of two successful men whose marriages are wrecked when their wives uncover their extra-marital affairs through traces left on their cell phones. More broadly, the film explores the role of cell phones in interpersonal relationships in modern China, where the rapid development of information technology is having huge impacts on the way people communicate.