South Korean star Rain will make his Chinese TV drama debut in Love Is Like Diamonds, DMG Entertainment has announced.

The series is being created by the Beijing-based outfit, which has recently co-produced Hollywood titles Iron Man 3, Looper and Transcendence, and will be China's most expensive non-period TV production.

Rain plays a manipulative CEO opposite Chinese A-listers Tang Yan, Luo Jin and Di Li Re Ba in the drama, of which production has now begun in Shanghai and Korea. The role marks not only Rain's Chinese TV soap debut but also a break away from his more refined good guy image, which he has crafted through regionally popular Korean TV shows such as Full House.

The actor and pop star, whose real name is Jung Ji-hoon, has appeared in several Hollywood films. He has been cast in The Prince opposite Bruce Willis alongside several Chinese projects.

Written by Chinese screenwriters, Love Is Like Diamonds also bucks the current Chinese trend of Korean adaptations. It is being directed by esteemed Taiwanese director Chen Mingzhang and is the first of 10 TV dramas in DMG's lineup for 2015, which also includes Hollywood co-produced films such as Autobahn and Point Break.

"DMG is excited to be working with international sensation Rain on his first Chinese TV drama, and I'm personally thrilled to be working with him, especially on a story that is so touching, memorable and universal in its allure," said Wu Bing, president of DMG Entertainment. “Love Is Like Diamonds is a great start to very big year for DMG's TV division."