Singapore director to produce a political thriller
SINGAPORE: Singapore director Lee Thean- Jeen has been chosen for a
movie on the independence of the city state in 1965, local daily Lianhe
Zaobao reported on Friday.
Actor Tony Leung from Hong Kong, China, might play the young founding
Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, it said.
Homerun Asia, which produces the movie, said on its website that the
movie, 1965, is based on Lee Kuan Yew's struggle for the independence of
Singapore. "1965 is a political thriller focused on 90 tumultuous days
in the year 1965, when racial and ideological differences saw violent
clashes on the streets of Singapore, while political intrigue and
conspiracy led to power struggles in the City Hall," it said.
The company also said that the movie will be "in the same vein as
Western political thrillers such as 'Munich' and 'Empire of the Sun.'"
It will have a budget of 5 million U.S. dollars, and work on the
production will start in September.
Responding to previous news reports that the movie will be directed
by Hong Kong director Peter Chan, Homerun Asia said it is still in
discussion over how Chan will be involved.
The company said it has not decided on the cast yet, but did not rule
out the possibility of Tony Leung playing the young Lee Kuan Yew, the
founding prime minister of the city state.
Actress Maggie Cheung might also play a role in the movie. Asked
whether the movie will be centered on the founding fathers of the city
state, like the Chinese movie The Founding of a Republic, the company
said it will not necessarily be centered around the role of Lee Kuan
Yew. Xinhua |