Psychological thriller Chosen to play on iQIYI from January 7

Psychological thriller Chosen, the first Chinese three-part drama adapted from an American series, will begin airing in China on leading streaming platform iQIYI from this Sunday (January 7).

The cast of Chosen, a Chinese three-part drama series, gathers on Friday, January 5, 2017 at a promotional event in Beijing. [Photo provided to China Plus]

Chosen is a co-production between iQIYI and Sony Pictures. The show has been picked up by Netflix and is set for a wide international release in 2018.

iQIYI held an event in Beijing on Friday to promote the new show. And advertisements for the show have been screened in Times Square in New York. 

Australian actor, singer, and model Sam Hayden-Smith poses for photos at a promotional event for psychological thriller Chosen on Friday, January 5, 2017 in Beijing. [Photo provided to China Plus]

The show tells the story of lawyer, father, and husband Ian Mitchell who wakes up one morning to discover a loaded gun and a photo of a stranger in a box delivered to his doorstep. Given orders to assassinate the stranger or lose his own life and that of his daughter, Ian turns into an unwilling killer who has to risk all to protect his family.

Actor Lan Cheng-lung (right) and actress Deng Jiajia promote upcoming psychological thriller Chosen on Friday, January 5, 2017 in Beijing. [Photo provided to China Plus]

The Chinese version of the drama largely sticks to the same plot as the American original, but includes local settings and characters.

Directed by Australia’s Tony Tilse, the new series has a mixed Asian and Western cast including Taiwan-born Blue Lan Cheng-lung and Deng Jiajia, as well as Australian actor, singer, and model Sam Hayden-Smith, and Australian actor and composer Nathaniel Kelly.