Alibaba Entertainment Executive Yang Weidong Being Investigated
On December 4, Alibaba Digital and Entertainment Group released a statement, announcing that Fan Luyuan is appointed as the new CEO of Alibaba’s video platform Youku, as the platform’s current head Yang Weidong is being investigated by the police. According to sources familiar with the matter, Yang is reported for financial misconduct, which led to the investigation. Born in 1974, Yang Weidong was the Head of Marketing for Nokia Great China between 2009-2011. In 2013, He became the CEO of Youku Tudou after the merger of the two platforms. In 2017, He became the President of Youku division after the founding of Alibaba Digital and Entertainment Group. Between November 2017 and November 2018, he was the first rotating Chairman of the Group. Read more on Sina
Xu Zheng to Start Filming ‘Lost in Russia’ in January 2019
Currently, Chinese actor and director Xu Zheng is preparing for his upcoming film Lost in Russia, which he plans to start shooting in January 2019, according to sources familiar with the matter. The film is mostly set in Russia and stars Xu Zheng, Cho-lam Wong, and Yu-chang Peng. Xu directed, co-wrote, co-produced and starred in Lost in Thailand (2012) and Lost in Hong Kong (2015), two of the highest-grossing films in China. He also co-produced and starred in this year’s box office hit Dying to Survive (2018). Read more on Mtime
‘Bumblebee’ Set for January 4 China Release
Bumblebee, Paramount’s 2018 science fiction action film centered around the Transformers character of the same name, has been scheduled to open in Chinese theaters on January 4, 2019. Directed by Travis Knight and starring Hailee Steinfeld, the film is set in 1987, twenty years before the events of the first Transformers. Bumblebee finds refuge in a junkyard in a small Californian beach town. Charlie, on the cusp of turning 18 and trying to find her place in the world, discovers Bumblebee, battle-scarred and broken. Bumblebee will be released in the U.S. on December 21. Read more on Mtime
