If there is one summer movie that I bet you’ll love if you just give it a chance, it’sThe Farewell, from writer-directorLulu Wang. It starsAwkwafinaas a young Chinese-American woman who travels to China to say goodbye to her beloved grandmother who has recently been diagnosed with late-stage cancer, though her family hasn’t told her yet. It’s a wonderful film and its themes of familiar love, duty and acceptance are universal. I think it’s going to be a legitimate contender this awards season, and likeThe Riderwriter-directorChloe Zhao, Wang could be the next indie filmmaker drafted by Marvel or another major studio.
But not just yet.
Instead, Wang has signed on to write and direct an adaptation ofAlexander Weinstein’s short story collectionChildren of the New World, it was announced Monday. The project – Wang’s third feature, followingThe Farewelland her 2014 debutPosthumousstarringJack HustonandBrit Marling– reunites her withPeter Saraf’s Big Beach, which also producedThe Farewell.
In a press release, Wang said that her next film will “continue exploring the evolving dynamics of family.” Well, let’s do some exploration of our own!
According to Amazon, the mind-bending short story collection “uses science fiction to illustrate what tomorrow might look like. Akin to a literaryBlack Mirror, each story powerfully illustrates how technology impacts our lives and forces us to confront what it means to be human.” One story involves a creator of virtual memories who struggles to distinguish real-life experience from manufactured events, while another story follows a childless couple who conceive two children in an online world, only for their imagined life to be infected by a computer virus.
Saraf andDani Meliawill produceChildren of the New Worldfor Big Beach along withJustin Lothropof Votiv, whoseBrent Stiefelwill executive produce. “We had an incredible experience collaborating with Lulu Wang onThe Farewelland are thrilled to be making another film with this visionary director, this time working alongside Votiv and exploring a completely different space and genre,” Melia said in a statement.
Big Beach is the company behind Starz’sVidaand the Facebook Watch seriesSorry For Your LossstarringElizabeth Olsen, as well as the upcoming Sony movieIt’s a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, which starsTom Hanksas Mister Rogers. Votiv’s credits include the acclaimed abortion comedyObvious ChildstarringJenny Slate.
Wang is represented by UTA and Circle of Confusion, and A24 will releaseThe Farewellin theaters this Friday. Don’t miss it!
