More fantastic news for Tong Yao fans! The Shanghai TV Festival continues to be a source of exciting announcements. First, we got direct confirmation that Nothing But Thirty 2 is in the works. Now, the news we've all been waiting for on Ball Lightning (球状闪电) has arrived in a one-two punch of confirmation.
After filming wrapped in 2022, the journey to get to our screens has been a winding road of mixed signals. The official promotional push for the series had fans eagerly anticipating a 2024 release. It kicked off on December 15, 2023, when the cast appeared at a major CCTV event promoting dramas for the "Dragon Year," positioning Ball Lightning as a key title for 2024. The hype continued when the show's official Weibo account included it in their year-end summary, and peaked in April 2024 with the announcement of its inclusion in the iQIYI World Conference. All official signs pointed firmly to a 2024 premiere but 2024 came and went and still nothing.
But this week, we have confirmation that things are finally moving! First, reports began surfacing on social media from industry bloggers. While these weren't official announcements, they showed what appeared to be a screenshot of the show's official online distribution license—the crucial "过审" (guò shěn) step—stamped with a 2025 approval date from Zhejiang's regulatory body.
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While that was exciting, the most important confirmation came directly from Tong Yao herself during an interview at the festival.
From the edited clips released, we can piece together a complete picture. In one segment, when discussing her upcoming work, Tong Yao explicitly states that a TV series she's very fond of, Si Xi (四喜), and Ball Lightning "will be released this year" (今年会上线的...).
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In another part of the interview, she elaborated further on Ball Lightning. She confirmed that it is in the final stages of post-production. Specifically, she mentioned they are doing voice work now and, with a hopeful smile, added that she "estimates it will meet everyone soon" (我估计也快跟大家见面了).
Putting it all together: the official license has been spotted, and the star
herself has confirmed in that a 2025 release is happening. The
three-year wait is officially over. Now, all that's left is to wait for the
official announcements and the broadcast date.
When it comes to Chinese dramas, I'm still
apprehensive about the quality of the visual effects. BUT I'm still really
looking forward to this. Can't wait!
If you're curious about the rest of Tong Yao’s work, I'm creating a complete guide to her filmography. It's my passion project filled with my personal reviews, character deep-dives, and links to detailed posts like this one and more. It’s a work in progress, but I invite you to take a look: Tong Yao Film & TV Guide for Fans.
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