Taiwan-based Double Edge Entertainment has taken international rights to $10m action comedy Black & White which is the movie version of a popular TV series of the same title.

The film will be directed by Yueh-hsun Tsai, the director of the TV series and will star Taiwanese heartthrob Mark Zhao (Monga), Ning Chang (Zoom Hunting) and Ivy Chen (Hear Me).  The three are also lead actors in the TV series.

China Film Group is on board as the mainland China distributor of the film. The film will be the first big-budget Taiwan-China co-production, and it is also the first Taiwan-China co-production on a gangster theme. The production team will hire two more actors from mainland China, with one of them being a lead, to perform in the film.

The film will be shot mainly in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, The film is about a retiring gangster and a young detective teaming up on a murder case, while the gangster tries to use the cop to retrieve priceless stolen goods. Director Tsai Yueh-hsun says that the film will take place in an unknown metropolis with no reference to any existing city.

“We look at the film as a Bad Boys -style action comedy with serious action scenes and solid drama elements,” said Steve Chicorel, International Sales Manager of Double Edge Entertainment. “Because the story of the film will not give any local references, we see more international appeal in this film.”

Double Edge is also handling TV rights of the Black & White TV series outside of Asia. It has been broadcast in more than 10 Asian countries including non-Chinese speaking countries Japan, Korea, and Philippines.

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