Lucas Wong will make his acting debut in “A Time,” a new Taiwanese drama series pairing its younger ensemble with established stars including Jerry Yan and Ning Chang.

Director Tsao Jui-yuan unveiled the project at the Taiwan Creative Content Fest, revealing a story shaped by Taiwan’s campus folk music movement of the 1970s. Scheduled to premiere in 2027, the series has been in development for eight years and follows its central characters across four decades of friendship, romance and personal change.

Wong, a former member of NCT and WayV, plays the younger version of Si Mao. He is also the first Hong Kong-born artist to debut with South Korea’s SM Entertainment.

“Being able to work with such an outstanding cast on my first acting project taught me so much,” Wong said. “I also learned diving, guitar and dancing for the role. This performance has been a very meaningful experience for me.”

Two Casts, One Four-Decade Story

Written by Chi Hsi-lin, “A Time” centers on five friends whose lives are transformed after Si Mao dives into an empty swimming pool and is injured. He remains in a coma for decades while the other friends confront guilt, love and their own personal battles.

The group ultimately reunites, bringing secrets from their youth back to the surface.

The drama uses two generations of performers to portray the five friends at different points in their lives. The older cast brings together Chang, “Meteor Garden” star Yan, Chen Yi-han, Golden Horse best actor winner Wu Kang-ren and Liang Cheng-chun.

Alongside Wong, the younger ensemble consists of Suri Lin, Fandy Fan, Iain Lu and Joseph Huang. Lu plays the younger version of Chang’s character, while Huang appears as the younger Mian Yang.

Tsao described the search for the younger actors as akin to looking for a needle in a haystack. He praised the five newcomers for both their work and their commitment to the production.

Huang, who comes from a musical family, said the cast found the dance movements difficult. However, he added that the performers enjoyed having the opportunity to communicate through singing and dancing as well as acting.

That musical element was brought to the project’s press conference, where all five younger cast members performed the Taiwanese folk song “Seasonal Rain” and recreated a dance sequence featured in the series.

Ning Chang Steps Behind the Camera

“A Time” also gives Chang a new role off screen. She was initially approached to star in the drama before becoming an executive producer, marking her first time in that position.

Chang called Tsao an “actor scanner,” describing him as a director capable of noticing even the smallest shift in a performer’s emotional condition. Lu offered a similar account of his process, saying Tsao expects actors to inhabit their characters completely and detects even momentary lapses in concentration.

Tsao said he invited Chang to join the project because of her resilience and commanding presence. Those qualities reminded him of Kwak Sin-ae, the Oscar-winning producer of “Parasite.” Chang said Kwak is someone she admires greatly.

The director, whose credits include “Crystal Boys,” “A Touch of Green” and “Seqalu: Formosa 1867,” said the series began with his wish to reconcile with his own youth.

“I’ve always believed that campus folk music is one of the most important cultural IPs in contemporary Taiwan,” Tsao said. He explained that the setting allowed him to tell a story extending from youthful recklessness into later phases of life.

The production has assembled more than 30 creative professionals whose work has received recognition from the Golden Horse, Golden Bell and Golden Melody awards, as well as international festivals.

ShowBiz Take

“A Time” carries several significant firsts within one long-gestating production. It introduces Wong as an actor, puts Chang in the executive producer’s chair for the first time and gives a younger ensemble the responsibility of establishing characters whose relationships will unfold over four decades.

The series’ combination of music, movement and intergenerational casting also appears central rather than decorative. Wong’s training in diving, guitar and dance directly connects to the role, while the younger cast’s “Seasonal Rain” performance offered an early demonstration of how the drama integrates its 1970s folk-music foundation with the characters’ coming-of-age story.

What Happens Next?

“A Time” is set to premiere in 2027. The exact premiere date and distribution platform have not been announced in the supplied details.