Operation Doolittle, China-U.S. WWII spy drama, heads to Busan market

A Second World War spy drama made as a China-U.S. co-production is going looking for international homes in Busan. Operation Doolittle, nine 60-minute episodes, will be offered to buyers at the Asian Contents & Film Market, the buying and selling market that runs alongside the Busan International Film Festival, according to Variety. Cappu Films is the worldwide sales agent, meaning it handles licences territory by territory to broadcasters and streamers. No transmission dates outside China have been disclosed.

The series tells a fictional intelligence story built around the Doolittle Raid of 1942. The raid gives the show its title and its wartime starting point. Characters speak English, Chinese and Japanese as the story unfolds. That three-language design means subtitles and dubbing will matter in every sale.

Edward Zhang leads the cast alongside Casper Van Dien and Jeff Fahey. Ning Chang also stars, with Morning Chang and Zhang Songwen named in the ensemble. Nine hours. Three languages.

The scripts are by Zhao Jun. Direction is by Zhao Yilong and Shaun Piccinino, splitting duties across the production. Han Sanping serves as executive producer, the senior credit that usually covers financing and creative oversight. A co-production, in industry terms, means staff, money and creative decisions come from more than one country.

Chinese audiences have already seen an earlier version. The drama debuted on Chinese screens earlier in 2026 under the title River Sunset, or Chang He Luo Ri. That version was recut into the nine-episode Operation Doolittle for viewers outside China, according to Variety. A recut can tighten episodes, adjust the language balance and reshape the opening for people meeting the story for the first time.

Cappu Films will introduce that international cut to buyers at Busan. Its broader slate for the market includes Fox Hunt, toplined by Tony Leung Chiu-wai, according to Variety. It has also boarded the John Rhys-Davies fantasy film Starbright.

Markets such as Busan do not put shows on air themselves. They are where producers and sellers meet the distributors and platforms who do.

For fans, this means patience. A market launch is not a transmission date. Sales closed at Busan will decide which broadcaster or streamer shows Operation Doolittle in each country, and when.