KUALA LUMPUR, April 23 — Pan-regional video streaming provider Viu has launched an Asian adaptation of Pretty Little Liars based on the popular US teen drama mystery television series of the same name.
The Viu Original series, which features Indonesian and Malaysian talents, is set in the fictional town of Amerta, Bali.
Pretty Little Liars follows the lives of four female students whose clique falls apart after the disappearance of their leader Alissa (Yuki Kato).
Hanna (Anya Geraldine), Ema (Eyka Farhana), Sabrina (Valerie Thomas) and Aria (Shindy Huang) are reunited one year later when they start receiving strange messages from the mysterious ‘A’, threatening to expose their dark secrets.
The Viu original series is directed by Indonesian filmmaker Emil Heradi.
“The series was fully shot in Bali, with a brilliant cast and top-notch feature film crew that was focused on showcasing premium Asian cinematic values to the world.
“The characters and relationships have been adapted for local appeal, while the strong twists and turns of the original series were given a Viu-style makeover,” said Emil.
The series also features notable seasoned Indonesian actors such as Wulan Guritno, Tarra Budiman and Irgi Fahrezi, alongside emerging talents Jennifer Coppen and Marcell Darwin.
“With this adaptation, we set out to honour the iconic Warner Bros. series, while ensuring the core themes relate to the hearts and minds of our audience members.
“Importantly, this gripping and binge-worthy series will provide a platform for critical discussions around friendship, empowerment and the consequences of cyber-bullying,” said Viu Indonesia and Malaysia original production head Sahana Kamath.
The original Warner Bros series which ran for seven seasons from 2010 to 2017 starred Troian Bellisario, Lucy Hale, Ashley Benson, Shay Mitchell and Sasha Pieterse.
The 10-episode Pretty Little Liars was released yesterday on Viu, which has a presence in 16 markets including Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Myanmar.
