Featuring one of the most star-studded Asian-Canadian casts ever assembled, DRAGON BOYS is a high-octane thriller that centres on a Chinese Canadian RCMP detective and an immigrant family who confront a deadly threat from Asian organized crime. The compelling drama weaves together four stories that evoke a rich tapestry of contemporary West Coast life set in and around Vancouver, British Columbia. The two-part, four-hour miniseries will air on Sunday, January 7 and Monday, January 8 at 8 p.m. on CBC Television.
Eight-time Gemini Award-winning director Jerry Ciccoritti (Shania, Trudeau, The Many Trials of One Jane Doe) leads an all-star cast which includes Byron Mann (Red Corner, Catwoman), who portrays RCMP Detective Tommy Jiang who sees a chance to bring down senior gangsters (Eric Tsang, Lawrence Chou). Steph Song (Everything’s Gone Green), portrays Southern Cambodian factory worker Chavy Pahn, who is forced into prostitution after coming to Canada with hopes of being a model. Tzi Ma (24, The Quiet American) plays a hardworking Chinese restaurant owner and the father of a vulnerable son who is pulled into local gang activity. And Derek Tsang, the son of one of Asia’s most celebrated stars (Eric Tsang appeared in the Hong Kong box-office sensation Infernal Affair) traveled from Hong Kong to take on the role of Fox Boy.
“This is an exciting and unique Canadian television event with a cast full of international stars,” says Executive Producer Michael Chechik. “The production explores the immigrant experience, social dislocation, generational conflict within families and personal and cultural identity.”
Based on meticulous research, DRAGON BOYS opens a window onto the world of Asian organized crime on Canada’s West Coast. It also examines how the impact of organized crime ripples through the wider community, both in terms of the social and economic toll it takes and the stereotypes it propagates.
“This timely crime drama is a contemporary take on what people are reading in the headlines,” says CBC Executive Director of Network Programming Kirstine Layfield. “Dragon Boys is a prime example of CBC Television’s programming strategy, compelling well-produced drama that reflects the diversity of Canadian life and culture."
DRAGON BOYS is written by Ian Weir. Weir and Michael Chechik are executive producers; Howard Dancyger is producer. DRAGON BOYS is a production of Anchor Point Pictures Inc. in association with Omni Film Productions and CBC Television.
