Born for the Spotlight
Born for the Spotlight () is an upcoming Taiwanese drama series directed and co-written by Yen Yi-wen. Starring Hsieh Ying-xuan, Cheryl Yang, Annie Chen, and Hsueh Shih-ling, the series revolves around a tale of stardom between two top actresses Hsueh (Hsieh) and Zhou (Yang) who were once friends but parted ways.

The series consists of 12 episodes and is set to have its world premiere at the 29th Busan International Film Festival, followed by a release on Netflix on 7 November 2024.

 Premise 
The series centers on the story of a starlet and the sisterhood between Zhou Fan and Hsueh Ya-chi, who were once close friends but parted ways after Hsieh faded out of showbiz to become an artist manager while Chou remained onscreen.

 Cast 
 Main 
 Hsieh Ying-xuan as Hsueh Ya-chi, a retired actress-turned-artist manager
 Cheryl Yang as Zhou Fan, a successful and award-winning actress
 Annie Chen
 Hsueh Shih-ling
 Cherry Hsieh
 Yang Kuei-mei
 Chung Hsin-ling
 Vicky Tseng
 Chloe Lin
 Huang Di-yang
 Zhan Huai-yun

 Recurring 
 Chan Tzu-hsuan
 Angel Lee

In addition, Liu Kuan-ting was cast in an undisclosed role.

 Production 
 Development 
Director and writer Yen Yi-wen conceived the screenplay based on her own acting career after winning awards and interviewed several fellow award-winning actresses during the early stages of screenwriting. The screenplay was presented at the 2022 Taipei Golden Horse Film Project Promotion, where it received the Catchplay Development Award. The series is set to be produced by Third Man Entertainment, with Kitten Huang attached as co-writer. Hsieh Ying-xuan and Cheryl Yang were cast in the lead roles prior to the 57th Golden Bell Awards later that year. The series was officially announced for production in early April 2023, with Yang Kuei-mei and Cherry Hsieh joining the cast. In February 2024, Netflix announced that it had acquired the series, along with a projected release date of 2024. Hsueh Shih-ling, Annie Chen, Chung Hsin-ling, Chloe Lin, Huang Di-yang, and Zhan Huai-yun were announced as the remaining ensemble cast in March. An official trailer was released on 29 August.

 Filming 
Principal photography began in late April 2023, with location shooting taking place at a nightclub in Zhongshan District, Taipei, on 27 April, where Yen Yi-wen, Cheryl Yang, and Liu Kuan-ting were spotted on set. Filming also took place at Illume Taipei on 26 May, featuring Vicky Tseng and Huang Di-yang, and concluded in mid-July.

 Release 
Born for the Spotlight consists of 12 episodes, and the first three episodes are set to be showcased at the 29th Busan International Film Festival in October 2024, marking its world premiere, followed by a release on Netflix on 7 November.

 References 

 External links 
 
 

Category:Taiwanese drama television series
Category:Television shows set in Taipei
Category:Television shows filmed in Taiwan
Category:2024 Taiwanese television series debuts
Category:Television series about actors
Category:Television series about show business
Category:Upcoming Netflix original programming