The fact that actor Sunny Pang (Headshot, The Night Comes For Us) is out there, giving the world hell as one of the baddest cinematic baddies who ever lived is something that truly warms my cockles. That he’s one of the coolest dudes I’ve known in real life is an absolute plus, on top of being a fan of his work, which brings me to the time I’ve spent since last year wondering just what the heck The Driver is.
Welp, now we have an answer with Golden Bell Award-winning actor Kaiser Chuang (Who Killed Cock Robin) leading the cast for the new series. Clocked in at around 11 one-hour episodes, The Driver centers on Jianyi, a former mob enforcer whose decision to leave the criminal life behind results in an already sealed fate.
After avenging his family’s murder, he relocates to Singapore to find redemption, taking jobs as a driver – whilst reluctantly taking on new life as vigilante dispensing justice for those in need when the law fails. When a chance meeting with a mysterious woman named Zi Xin, it ignites a mystique that invites questions about her connection to a past Jianyi can no longer outrun.
So where does Pang fit in all this? Well, he’s definitely a villain in this series, and he also runs fight design via his own stunt unit, Ronin Action Group which also shepherded stunts on Singaporean zombie romp, Zombiepura. It’s also worth mentioning his latest starring role in James Lee’s Kill-Fist earned him Runner Up at this year’s AOF Megafest for Breakout Action Star.
He and lead actor Chuang are joined by actress Jesseca Liu who plays the enigmatic Zi Yin. Also starring are Wang Yuqing, as well as Pang’s Fly By Night cohorts Ruby Yap and Fabian Loo.
The Driver premieres exclusively on Toggle beginning September 27 before potentially hitting up a major network premiere on Singapore TV, Mediacorp and other potential platforms in Taiwan. Alas, so if you’re in Singapore and have the service, I look forward to hearing some opinions on the new series next week.
Update (9:20pm EST) – A previous version of this article reported a series count of 22 half-hour episodes, which, in a post-report development, was amended to an eleven-episode one-hour series instead.