Four leading roles in TV drama "Three Kingdoms" [CRI]

The remake of TV drama "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" sets a record as the most expensive small screen series so far in China's television history.

The 90-episode project was sold to four regional TV broadcasters at the price of 160 million yuan for exclusive airing.

Though selling 1.8 million each episode, the publisher said the project is not even as profitable as an average-production TV drama due to its huge cost in costumes, war props and plenty of outdoor filming.

"Romance of the Three Kingdoms" is one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. It was first adapted into a TV series in 1993 and debuted as a smash hit that year.

The new version will be aired during the New Year season of 2010.

(CRI September 27, 2009)