Zero Day (2025 TV series)

Zero Day (Chinese: 零日攻擊) is an upcoming 2025 Taiwanese speculative fiction television series, set against the fictional scenario of a People's Liberation Army invasion of the island of Taiwan, and the grey-zone events leading up to it.^[2][4][5]

Under the guise of a search and rescue operation following the downing of a PLAAF Shaanxi Y-8 anti-submarine warfare aircraft in the Taiwan Strait, China implements a naval blockade over the waters surrounding Taiwan, leading to the complete halt of international shipping to the island, and a subsequent stock market crash and bank run. As the Taiwanese military mobilises in preparation for invasion, foreign governments begin evacuating their nationals from Taiwan.

A hybrid warfare campaign begins spreading disinformation on social media to erode morale, while Chinese hackers hijack local broadcast media, using AI deepfakes of the Taiwanese president to deceive the public into standing down. As Chinese infiltrators and their local collaborators release convicts from prisons en masse, armed groups of fifth columnists and gang members begin blockading roads. As the ensuing chaos progresses, PLAAF SOF operators make landfall.

The series was announced at a press conference on July 23, 2024, with the first trailer released on the same day.^[6] Preparation for the series began in December 2022. Principal filming commenced in March 2024, with plans to finish by November 2024. The series is supported by the Taiwanese Ministry of Culture's "1 plus 4-T-content plan",^[6] and is produced by Zero Day Cultural and Creative Co., Ltd., with funding provided by the Taiwan Creative Content Agency [zh], Chunghwa Telecom, Kaohsiung Film Fund [zh], and Robert Tsao. Cheng Shin-mei (Chinese: 鄭心媚) is the producer and screenwriter of the show,^[7] while Lin Shih-ken (Chinese: 林仕肯) serves as executive producer. Filming was also assisted by the Republic of China Armed Forces.^[8]

Director Lo Ging-zim explains that after the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, he considers Taiwan to be "the most likely next flashpoint... drama is not presenting the truth but metaphor as to how we might react to the challenges in reality", and that Zero Day aims to show the public how to face a potential invasion.^[6] Hong Kong actor Chapman To, who plays the character of "Brother Qiang", a Chinese Communist Party operative, expressed in a media interview that "it is embarrassing to play the role of a Hongkonger sent by the People's Republic of China to infiltrate Taiwan, but acting such a role is not difficult because there are many such people in Hong Kong".^[9][3]

The series will consist of ten episodes, and is planned to release in 2025.^[1] Each of the episodes will be filmed by different directors.^[6]

Following the show's announcement, Chinese users on Weibo were critical of Issey Takahashi's casting in the production;^[10] in a Taiwanese media interview with Cheng Shin-mei, she revealed that Takahashi was willing to accept the risk of becoming blacklisted from the Chinese film market.^[11]

• Official trailer on YouTube