Why did Esther leave ? i've seem rumors but everyone is saying something different
The actual reason is something only Esther and the production team know, but according to the rumors at the time, this is roughly what happened:
Esther was cast in early 2025, and the production heavily hyped her casting. There were even claims that the FL character was developed with her in mind. She reportedly trained for the role, and after WangAnyu was announced anticipation around the drama and their pairing gradually grew....They made tons of content around thier characters ....the hype was real.
The drama was supposed to start filming in September 2025, and fans even went to support them on the supposed booting day. But neither actor showed up, and filming kept getting delayed without a clear explanation.
The delay was reportedly connected to the controversy surrounding Esther's family and corruption related allegations. Those allegations were never proven as far as I know, but the public opinion around Esther became really negative.
By November, reports came that Esther had exited, followed by rumors about Wang Anyu leaving too. Both eventually signed other projects, and AJTG was ultimately cancelled.
So there are many rumors about why Esther left, but the actual reason has never been confirmed. Only Esther and the production team know what really happened behind the scenes.
At the end of the day, they’re all actors, and it’s not really their fault how the situation played out...No one deserves hate for something that’s out of their hands.
Still pessimistic about it until proven wrong. Who knows what kind of cost-cutting shortcuts iQiyi have taken…
I understand where you're coming from. The production did have a few questionable moments earlier, but thankfully everything seems to be back on track now.
Still pessimistic about it until proven wrong. Who knows what kind of cost-cutting shortcuts iQiyi have taken…
What are you talking about? Where did you hear that rumor? This is one of iQIYI's most expensive drama projects..... They literally built a real life set in Huangshan instead of just renting existing sets in Hengdian... Of course, some scenes were also filmed in Hengdian later, but that doesn't change the scale of the production....
I’m hyped for this Wang Anyu drama, but after watching a few of Zhang Ruonan’s works, her chemistry hasn’t really clicked for me most of the time. The only pairing I liked was with Bai Jingting.... Still, Anyu is a chemistry king, so I have high expectations 🤞
Just heard this project is starting with Zhao Jinmai and Wang Anyu as the leads, and they’re both my faves!…
I like this pairing... But I think it’s just a rumor, because WangAnyu has already been officially announced as the lead in "Torrent" vand its shooting is expected to start in June. I feel like they’ll announce new leads instead... If Anyu still does this project, it would mean he’s stuck and can’t leave like Esther, who made the right call tbh ....
Chasing Jade had all the elements to be great...strong cast, good setup, and an engaging start. The actors did a really good job and carried their roles well, but the writing doesn’t fully do them justice....
Somewhere in the middle, it loses narrative control. The pacing weakens, conflicts feel less intense, and the storyline starts relying on familiar tropes instead of building something memorable. The first arc was excellent, but the later episodes don’t maintain that same quality. It ends up being a good drama, but not a standout one...more of a “had potential but didn’t fully deliver” situation.
Of course, this is just my personal opinion. Discussions are meant for different perspectives, so let’s keep it respectful. Also, I still have 5 episodes left, so my opinion might change....
In my opinion, both Ester and Anyu wouldn't stay in this drama. Even they got at least DP after signed the contract/agreement,…
He didn’t sign any new drama during that time. The drama he was supposed to film in February was planned to happen after AJTL. The “Torrent” one is something he signed recently, and that is scheduled on May after his new drama filming, So it’s quite clear that he did lose time. As for the other artists, I don’t know much...this is just what I’ve understood from online “melon” discussions. Whether it’s completely true or not, only those involved really know. I just genuinely feel bad for him and hope that in the future he gets to work with a reliable cast and team, so situations like this can be avoided.
I genuinely feel bad for Wang Anyu. I was so excited for him, but everything went into a void. He wasted a crucial 3–4 months on this drama and ended up with nothing. None of this is his fault, the female lead was replaced, and Because of fans creating chaos around It ,no other female wants to take this project anymore, due to all hate she receives. As a result, the drama isn’t being produced at all... I hope He finds a strong cast and crew in the future and Stays Far from Anyone involved in this Drama... This was straight-up BETRAYAL!!!
I really want Anyu and Esther to be the leads too.......but the hate towards whoever is rumored right now is unacceptable. Those actors didn’t decide anything........the production team did. They’re just doing their work, so please be respectful‼️
I saw a post saying anyu backed out 😬😬😬… can anyone tell me y? I feel like he lost good project feels…
Poor Wang Anyu.... he didn’t even back out....His studio just informed that he wouldn’t be present at the offline event because there was no official booting ceremony in the first place.....Yet he’s stuck being mentioned in this whole situation for no reason ....when it's not even related to him‼️
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Esther was cast in early 2025, and the production heavily hyped her casting. There were even claims that the FL character was developed with her in mind. She reportedly trained for the role, and after WangAnyu was announced anticipation around the drama and their pairing gradually grew....They made tons of content around thier characters ....the hype was real.
The drama was supposed to start filming in September 2025, and fans even went to support them on the supposed booting day. But neither actor showed up, and filming kept getting delayed without a clear explanation.
The delay was reportedly connected to the controversy surrounding Esther's family and corruption related allegations. Those allegations were never proven as far as I know, but the public opinion around Esther became really negative.
By November, reports came that Esther had exited, followed by rumors about Wang Anyu leaving too. Both eventually signed other projects, and AJTG was ultimately cancelled.
So there are many rumors about why Esther left, but the actual reason has never been confirmed. Only Esther and the production team know what really happened behind the scenes.
At the end of the day, they’re all actors, and it’s not really their fault how the situation played out...No one deserves hate for something that’s out of their hands.
I thought it would never move forward after Esther’s exit and that whole mess...
But anyways, so exited for WangAnyu.
They literally built a real life set in Huangshan instead of just renting existing sets in Hengdian...
Of course, some scenes were also filmed in Hengdian later, but that doesn't change the scale of the production....
Still, Anyu is a chemistry king, so I have high expectations 🤞
If Anyu still does this project, it would mean he’s stuck and can’t leave like Esther, who made the right call tbh ....
Somewhere in the middle, it loses narrative control. The pacing weakens, conflicts feel less intense, and the storyline starts relying on familiar tropes instead of building something memorable. The first arc was excellent, but the later episodes don’t maintain that same quality.
It ends up being a good drama, but not a standout one...more of a “had potential but didn’t fully deliver” situation.
Of course, this is just my personal opinion. Discussions are meant for different perspectives, so let’s keep it respectful. Also, I still have 5 episodes left, so my opinion might change....
The “Torrent” one is something he signed recently, and that is scheduled on May after his new drama filming,
So it’s quite clear that he did lose
time.
As for the other artists, I don’t know much...this is just what I’ve understood from online “melon” discussions. Whether it’s completely true or not, only those involved really know.
I just genuinely feel bad for him and hope that in the future he gets to work with a reliable
cast and team, so situations like this can be avoided.
He wasted a crucial 3–4 months on this drama and ended up with nothing.
None of this is his fault, the female lead was replaced, and Because of fans creating chaos around It ,no other female wants to take this project anymore, due to all hate she receives.
As a result, the drama isn’t being produced at all...
I hope He finds a strong cast and crew in the future and Stays Far from Anyone involved in this Drama...
This was straight-up BETRAYAL!!!
Hating on artists for shit they have nothing to do with is Disgusting as Hell!!!
But after that, things got better, and now I’m actually enjoying it.