Salary dispute cause of ‘Keep Running’ cast shakeup: reports

Chinese reality show Keep Running, an adaptation of the popular Korean reality show, Running Man, is now in its seventh season, has maintained its popularity throughout its run.

However, for the newest season, a major shakeup in the cast members was announced, with Chinese actors Deng Chao and Chen He, Chinese actor-singer Lu Han, as well as Hong Kong actor Wong Cho-lam leaving the show. Of the cast members from the sixth season, only Hong Kong model-actress Angelababy and Chinese actors Li Chen and Ryan Zheng are left.Though there has been a number of changes to the cast since the start of Keep Running, the loss of longtime cast members Lu Han and Deng Chao in particular left fans sighing that the show had “lost its original charm".

Recently, a netizen posted that the reason behind the changes was due to new regulations restricting the pay of celebrities. As an example, the netizen shared that both Deng Chao and Lu Han commanded over RMB100 million (approximately SGD$20 million) per season. However, as they refused to take a cut in their salaries to RMB10 million (approximately SGD$2 million) per season, the production crew had no choice but to change the cast.

However, reaction to the news was largely positive, with netizens explaining that filming for the reality show required long hours and much effort. Additionally, fans of Deng Chao also shared that the actor has a number of acting projects on his plate this year and his career would therefore not suffer even without his participation on Keep Running.

Photos: PBE Media

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