In starting the new year, HBO Asia will air the second season of Halfworlds, the urban fantasy-thriller about the collided worlds of demons and mortals.

With a change at the helm from Joko (Dead Time, The Forbidden Door) to Thailand’s Ekachai Uekrongtham (Beautiful Boxer, Skin Trade), the new stab is an extension of Halfworlds’ universe from the dark alleys of Jakarta’s slums to the bright nightlife of Bangkok’s streets.

The running time of each of the eight episodes is doubled to one hour, enough for viewers to explore the emotion and situation of what each character finds themselves in.

The ensemble cast are mostly filled by young Thai actors performing side-by-side with renowned actors from the Philippines, Taiwan and Indonesia.

In the new season, we are introduced to Thai’s supernatural beings Peesaj similar to the Demits in the previous season but without the various types of demons and their respective features, perhaps to save the audience from grappling with each episode especially those not well versed with the mythos so they can focus more on how the story unfolds.

It follows tenacious researcher Juliet (Tia Tavee) who is trying to uncover the secret world of demons that live amongst mortals, while looking for an ancient artifact of great power — the Kris Amorana. The quest draws the attention of the demons that bring her to the battles with Peesaj leader Charlie (David Asavanond), a mortal guarding the peace alongside demons Warin (Nicole Theriault) and Fyter (Peem Jaiyen).

Indonesia’s Reza Rahadian and Arifin Putra are the only two actors from the previous production reprising their roles in the sequel.

“We have become the seniors and source of information to other casts, [who] mostly are still in their early 20s,” said Arifin, 29, with a laugh. He and Reza talked to the press in a roundtable session for Halfworlds season 2 press junket on Jan. 12 at On Five Residence, Grand Hyatt Hotel, Central Jakarta.

Arifin plays Barata, an enigmatic half breed, who travels to Bangkok on his own quest in which he crosses paths with those from his past that lead to more fight scenes for the character.

“If the action scenes in season 1 are a bit rough around the edges, this season is well choreographed and more epic. Instead of a dogfight, I have to face four to five enemies at the same time,” he said.

“Although Reza and I were not given enough time to practice before takes, the choreograph team was able to recognize how our bodies move so they could quickly arrange one for each of us.”

The fact that Halfworlds is the first and by far the only original series produced by HBO Asia with a sequel speaks for itself.

It has gained attention for its fresh take on mythical creatures familiar to a majority of people in the region and for putting together the best film stars of different countries in one production.

The first eight-episode series, written by Indonesian Joko Anwar and Singaporean Collin Chang received three 2016 Apollo Awards for cinematography, color grading and motion graphics as well as the Asian Television Award for editing.

Reza, who plays a playful villain named Tony — a Genderuwo, a demon with sheer size and power — said the first season was a one-dimensional story of struggle for power, while the sequel would be on the clash of conflicts over ultimate power.

Reza’s character is in Bangkok to meet Wish (Myra Molloy), a seer, in hope to find his missing lover and partner-in-crime Ros but he ends up in an endless fight for survival.

“The multidimensional story will make you want to root for each character. It’s a more commercial production that will not make the viewer lose track [even if] they haven’t seen the first season,” he said.

“It’s certainly an upgrade to the cinematic experience of TV viewers in Indonesia,” he concluded.

— Photos courtesy of HBO Asia