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Warner Brothers has acquired Crazy Rich Asians (Exclusively all Asian cast Rom Com)

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”Crazy Rich Asians" unfolds in a world of opulence, as new and old money collide among a set of Chinese families living in Singapore. It's being pitched as a combination of ”Devil Wears Prada" and ”Pride & Prejudice," and follows Rachel Chu, a Chinese-American economics professor and her boyfriend, Nick Young. When Nick invites Rachel to attend his best friend's wedding in his home town of Singapore, he fails to mention that as the heir to a massive fortune, he is viewed as the country's most eligible bachelor.

Sounds like a normal Korean or Chinese drama setup.

I'll bite.

Glad it's happening.

So now the only Hollywood properties to show love to Asians both have "crazy" in the title :lol

Fresh Off the Boat!
 

sandy1297

Member
Can't wait to see the many South and South-East Asian in the cast along the usual 'Holywood Asian'.

Oh and middle eastern too ( they are also Asians)


It wont happen
 
Can't wait to see the many South and South-East Asian in the cast along the usual 'Holywood Asian'.

Oh and middle eastern too ( they are also Asians)


It wont happen

I mean this film is about a specific ethnic of Asians located in a specific Asian country, so course it won't happen.

What a weird post.
 
It still seen like a stereotype subject matter to me. I don't have problem with the stereotype btw, but I don't believe these people talk in English.
 

sandy1297

Member
It still seen like a stereotype subject matter to me. I don't have problem with the stereotype btw, but I don't believe these people talk in English.

Most singaporean are fluent (though heavyly accented) english speaker


I mean this film is about a specific ethnic of Asians located in a specific Asian country, so course it won't happen.

What a weird post.

Singapore is in South East Asia where 25% of the native are not chinese and 2 in 5 people in the street is a foreigner (majority from South Asian countries)

They couldn't have pick a more diverse country to have an all East Asian cast
 

Sliver

Member
Can't wait to see the many South and South-East Asian in the cast along the usual 'Holywood Asian'.

Oh and middle eastern too ( they are also Asians)


It wont happen

Well, no matter what they do at least you'll get to continue whining.
 
Most singaporean are fluent (though heavyly accented) english speaker




Singapore is in South East Asia where 25% of the native are not chinese and 2 in 5 people in the street is a foreigner (majority from South Asian countries)

They couldn't have pick a more diverse country to have an all East Asian cast

But the book the film is based on is about a specific Chinese family in Singapore. I still don't see your point.
 

Shoeless

Member
I think for Western audiences, they're probably better off using an Asian American cast. I lived in Singapore for over 10 years, and that accent they have is... really distinct. It took me years to get used to the rhythm, diction and placement of accent syllable stresses that they have for some words, and I think for a Western, English speaking audience to absorb that accent and get with the program in 90 minutes or less isn't viable.

To be fair, I ended up marrying a Singapore girl, but MAN, did she ever lose her accent fast once we moved to Canada.
 

sandy1297

Member
But the book the film is based on is about a specific Chinese family in Singapore. I still don't see your point.

That when holywood say Asian they actually mean East-Asian and not South East Asian/South Asian ?

Speaking as a non-chinese SE Asian, i just found that amusing

I think for Western audiences, they're probably better off using an Asian American cast. I lived in Singapore for over 10 years, and that accent they have is... really distinct.

I still remember the outrage when Kelly was hired to commentate on the early GSL :)
 
That when holywood say Asian they actually mean East-Asian and not South East Asian/South Asian ?

Speaking as a non-chinese SE Asian, i just found that amusing

Ok, that's altogether a different set of criticism that I may agree with you on, however, I don't see the connection with using that critique in the casting of this film.
 

Zhengi

Member
Singapore is only one of the settings. The character, Rachel, is a Taiwanese American (iirc) who meets Nicholas in the US. Nicholas is suppose to speak British English as many of the rich Asian kids went to England for school.

There are also locations in Hong Kong and other places in China. Not sure how faithful the movie will follow the book, but it is not necessary to have a cast that is completely Singaporean.
 

Shoeless

Member
Singapore is only one of the settings. The character, Rachel, is a Taiwanese American (iirc) who meets Nicholas in the US. Nicholas is suppose to speak British English as many of the rich Asian kids went to England for school.

There are also locations in Hong Kong and other places in China. Not sure how faithful the movie will follow the book, but it is not necessary to have a cast that is completely Singaporean.

I wonder how liberal they're going to be with the scattering of "lahs" at the end of sentences. It's probably going to be as over the top as when Americans drop "Ehs" at the end of their sentences when they're pretending to be Canadian.
 
Your one Asian friend or what?

...no, my friend that lives in Singapore. Not gonna ask my mate that lives in Butterworth, Malaysia, now am I?

Anyway, I figure it'd be interesting to get his judgement on the depiction of the city and lifestyle, whenever the film comes along. We also often have discussions on diversity on media, and I'm somewhat curious as to what his reaction would be to the project, being a Hollywood production to probably feature an Asian American cast, but based on a book by a Singapore native in what is, as others have noted, one of the more diverse cities of the SEA region.
 

sandy1297

Member
Ok, that's altogether a different set of criticism that I may agree with you on, however, I don't see the connection with using that critique in the casting of this film.

Its been my pet peave :)

Not beeing familiar with the original material and seeing Asian in the title triggered me :D
 

sandy1297

Member
What did you think of that Faux-Singlish accent from Bolo Santosi in Just Cause 2? My God, I nearly died of laughter EVERY SINGLE TIME she spoke.

I only saw the highlight reel in youtube and can't force myself to finish it, was cringing too hard:D

Its worst than the pirates in Uncharted 1 :)
 

Link1110

Member
That's the plot? Sounds like generic dorama dreck. What's next? A Western remake of tiny times?

Can't we get a good movie with the all Asian cast? If you want a story, pick up a history book
 
Its been my pet peave :)

Not beeing familiar with the original material and seeing Asian in the title triggered me :D

LOL Ok fair enough.

The same issues occur in Hollywood with Latinos usually being depicted as light skin and/or White while brown to Black Latinos not being cast in those roles because they don't fit Hollywood's idea of Latin, particularly Latina women.

That's the plot? Sounds like generic dorama dreck. What's next? A Western remake of tiny times?

Can't we get a good movie with the all Asian cast? If you want a story, pick up a history book

You have to start somewhere and if this movie's a hit, it launches a lot of Asian actors careers in Hollywood that could potentially make one or some of them stars that can help launch other films with Asian casts and narratives. It's a process.
 

duckroll

Member
"Crazy" is the last thing I would use to describe Singaporeans. Lol. But I guess since this is about Americans coming here, whatever. I wonder if they'll give Chin Han a token role. C'mon!
 
"Crazy" is the last thing I would use to describe Singaporeans. Lol. But I guess since this is about Americans coming here, whatever. I wonder if they'll give Chin Han a token role. C'mon!
He is the token Singaporean in Hollywood now. Will be surprised if they did not approach him for even a small role.
 
I mean this film is about a specific ethnic of Asians located in a specific Asian country, so course it won't happen.

What a weird post.
asia is a huge ass continent

indians do not look like chinese people
filipinos do not look japanese
etc

u gotta at least strive to look for actors that convey what singaporean people actually look like!
 

duckroll

Member
I wonder how liberal they're going to be with the scattering of "lahs" at the end of sentences. It's probably going to be as over the top as when Americans drop "Ehs" at the end of their sentences when they're pretending to be Canadian.

To be honest, if you want more realistic casual conversations between English speaking Singaporeans, it'll be more authentic to just make sure every other sentence has a "right" in it. Usually at the end!
 
asia is a huge ass continent

indians do not look like chinese people
filipinos do not look japanese
etc

u gotta at least strive to look for actors that convey what singaporean people actually look like!

What are you arguing against? I don't think they're going to cast Asian actors that couldn't pass for Singaporeans.
 

It's true, the language that everyone speak here is Singlish. 😏
What are you arguing against? I don't think they're going to cast Asian actors that couldn't pass for Singaporeans.
img_5882.jpg


It's actually not that hard since there is no real Singaporean face.
 

Sunster

Member
I just watched Edge Of Seventeen and it's funny how they made him the "friend zone" kinda awkward guy amidst all of the "hot" White guys that the protagonist and her best friend desire.

no way he would have not been insanely popular at a real HS. Rich (at a public school), looks like a GQ model, only a few friends? do. not. believe.
 
It's true, the language that everyone speak here is Singlish. 😏
img_5882.jpg


It's actually not that hard since there is no real Singaporean face.

Yeah, looking at articles Jon Chu plans to do what I thought he'd do, and tackle it the way Hollywood does

http://www.straitstimes.com/lifesty...ne-can-act-in-crazy-rich-asians-says-director

But Chu is open to actors who are neither fully Chinese, Singaporean nor have any idea how rich people are supposed to behave.

"We need actors who can bring that character to life," he tells The Straits Times on the telephone from his home in Los Angeles.

That principle implies that everything is "open to discussion".

"If you have someone who is half-Chinese, can you cast them as full Chinese? If they don't look Eurasian, can we get away with it? These are questions we debate every day. I, of course, would like to have everything as genuine and real as possible," he says.

Look at the number of British actors playing American superheroes and one should get an idea of how casting in Crazy Rich Asians will work, says Chu, 37.

"Can a Malaysian actor play only Malaysians? Is that what we are really saying? I'm not sure that is the right way," says the ChineseAmerican director, who was behind the crime thriller Now You See Me 2 (2016) and the superhero movie G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013).

He and the production team have been in Singapore and around the region, scouting locations. A few actors are close to being "locked in" for key parts in the movie, but he says announcements will be made later.

Chu hopes to shoot as much of the film as he can in Singapore, but as with casting, he will keep his options open.

He says he is relishing the opportunity to make that rare thing - a major Hollywood movie featuring Asians in the lead roles, immersed in their own culture. The only other movie he has watched that comes close is the drama Joy Luck Club (1993), based on the Amy Tan novel.

He is aware that he has an enormous responsibility.

"We at the studio know the importance of casting it right and telling the story right. We want a sophisticated story, instead of relying on stereotypes."
 
no way he would have not been insanely popular at a real HS. Rich (at a public school), looks like a GQ model, only a few friends? do. not. believe.

Exactly, dude was built with a six pack, rich as hell and couldn't get girls and had a crush on a supposedly awkward White girl who's supposed to be not that attractive and only had one friend ever.... and she puts him in the friend zone, while she fawns all over this "hot" White guy.

Edge of Seventeen is a really great movie, but this is textbook example of how casting a minority in a stereotypical role can not only reinforce a western ethnic stereotype but when it's with a predominately White cast, the ethnic stereotype stands out even more and is no long an individual but a representation of that ethnic/race within this White word in the film especially when there's already a lack of Asian Westerners in Hollywood films.
 

Replicant

Member
"Can a Malaysian actor play only Malaysians? Is that what we are really saying? I'm not sure that is the right way," says the ChineseAmerican director, who was behind the crime thriller Now You See Me 2 (2016) and the superhero movie G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013).

'Crazy Rich Asians' Lands Its Male Lead (Exclusive)

LOL. He already knew who he wanted to cast. He's a British/Malaysian guy (who resides in Singapore), Henry Golding:

403full-henry-golding.jpg


http://www.henrygolding.com/

Well, at least he's hot, which is what I wanted. Not sure about acting skill. His British accent is thick.
 
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