Hi rbs, hope you’re having a nice holiday season 🎄Do you know if there’s any update on Yibo’s next movie, the one directed by Cheng’er? Also, sorry if this question has already come up, but in the future, what kind of roles or projects would you really like to see him take on? And what about gg? :)
Hi Mimihina! I have had a nice holiday season, thanks! I hope have been too. ☺️
There is no update on Mermaid/Intercross, and there hasn't been since the announcement that filming was complete. That announcement came in July of last year.
That shouldn't be surprising at all. That project has been incredibly secretive, and has had absolutely no leaks whatsoever, which is exceptionally rare. Therefore the only things we're likely to hear are official announcements, or information that is publicly available or that the production has no control over (such as when it obtains a license to air).
When it will be ready for viewing is anyone's guess. The best comparison we have is Hidden Blade, which completed filming in the end of 2021 and was released in January of 2023. Basically just over a year later. It's already been longer than that since Mermaid/Intercross wrapped, so... not that useful.
It did appear on lists of 'most anticipated films of 2025', but we're in the last week of 2025 and there's still no movement on it. We'll just have to be patient and hope it comes out soon. I suspect we'll get it sometime next year, but I don't have any evidence beyond my own expectations.
Re: GG and DD and what types of projects I'd like to see them in - I have been asked similar questions in the past. For example, I was asked about what I'd like to see them appear together in, and who I'd like to see them work with, which has led to some of the info your question is asking, but it's been a while.
For GG, I want to see him play a villain because he's always wanted that, and it would be great to see that dream come true for him.
However, it's a bit unlikely we'd get the kind of antihero/villain role that would be fully satisfying due to Chinese censorship regulations. Criminals/villains must always be depicted as undesirable characters who 'lose' in the end, so those kinds of stories (which tend to be ubiquitous in the West) don't really get told there.
Legend of Zanghai was a bit like that, in that it was a revenge role where he was involved in a lot of scheming and questionable activity, but he was also a very righteous person trying to correct past wrongs and set things on a righteous path. He wasn't a mob figure or a con artist or mastermind pulling criminal heists, which are the kinds of roles I think he'd be great in and I'd love to see.
If you look at the smirk he gives at the end of this GQ video, you can see his potential for a role like that.
I would also like to see him in an unscripted way, where we get more up close and personal with him as he takes on challenges. Sort of like his own version of Exploring the Unknown. Whatever that would be for him. What kinds of challenges interest him? What kinds of documentary projects would he be interested in doing, where we might get a bigger glimpse of the real GG?
The closest we've had of that from him (aside from XFIRE and Our Song, of course) is the 'making of' video he did for WM. But yeah, I'd love to see more of that kind of thing from him.
For DD, we've been exceptionally fortunate. The sorts of things I most love seeing him in, we've had so much of it (not that I don't want more!). For years we had DDU, we had Street Dance of China, we had the pangolin documentary, we've had Exploring the Unknown, we have his racing. These are the kinds of things I most enjoy. Just seeing DD being DD.
I am also DYING, like, completely losing my MIND waiting for Mermaid. I really can't wait to see it.
I think more than anything I would love to see more dance from him, but I respect that's not where he's at right now.
In terms of new acting roles, I would most love to see him play a modern role that has a lot of emotional complexity. I don't have much of a preference of where that goes. But in a perfect world, I wish we could see him play an emotionally complex, multi-dimensional queer character, where queerness isn't the central focus of the project, and where he doesn't meet a 'kill your gays' tragic end.
This because, I think he'd really come alive in a role like that.
Regardless of what they end up doing, I look forward to seeing all of their work. I hope you all do too! You can find some of those projects and links/info for viewing here.
