The two old friends will be sharing the screen once again after starring in the 2019 film
Always Be My Maybe, which was written by comedian Ali Wong, Michael Golamco and Randall Park. Daniel Dae Kim and Park both played love interests for Wong’s lead character and now they’re joining the same team in a heist film that is poised to steal the top spot at the box office, not to mention hearts thanks to those impressive jawlines.An official synopsis has yet to be released, but
Deadline describes the film as "a reunion of friends from high school who regroup to perform a major heist" and Kim confirmed that the movie would follow in the footsteps of other ensemble heist flicks.“I think it has nods to
Ocean’s 11, The Full Monty as well as
Better Luck Tomorrow,” Kim told the publication. “It’s a story that kind of highlights community, friendship, unity in a very familiar genre that people I think will enjoy.”[video_embed id='2012607']RELATED: Sterling K. Brown talks about power of representation on TV [/video_embed]The idea for the film was developed by Kim and Park, who will also produce the film, as well as 3AD’s Head of Development John Cheng. Screenwriter Young Il Kim, who has worked on
Billions and is part of the upcoming adaptation of the fictional novel
Rodham, will pen the script.The unnamed heist film is still in development, but Amazon Studios acquired the rights after a lengthy bidding war, a sign that studios are finally listening to audiences and recognizing the demand for more diversity on screen. “There is an appetite to see this kind of a movie with an Asian American cast and that is a really promising sign of the times,” Kim told
Deadline following the bidding war.Popular heist films have featured primarily white casts, from Steven Soderbergh's remake of 1960's classic
Ocean’s Eleven to
Ocean's Twelve and
Thirteen, which co-starred Don Cheadle and Bernie Mac and included a supporting role for acrobat and actor Shaobo Qin, who was the only Asian actor in the main cast. The 2018 all-female
Ocean’s Eight reboot included Rihanna, Awkwafina and Mindy Kaling in leading roles and featured a small cameo from Qin but a predominantly Asian American cast in an ensemble crime caper has yet to be made for North American audiences.Park and Kim intend to change that.“We want to be inclusive and we feel like there’s a story here to be told. It’s super exciting,” said Kim. “Randall and I have wanted to do something together for a while. This is just a great reason to bring together talented actors who have been friends for a really long time and really have fun on a project that, with any luck, will be able to make an impact.”The new heist film from Park and Kim is arriving after a handful of critically and commercially successful Asian American led films in North America have proven that diverse audiences are eager to see themselves onscreen.
Crazy Rich Asians grossed over $238 million at the box office, making it the highest grossing rom-com of the 2010s. The 2019 drama
The Farewell, directed by Lulu Wang, was nominated for two Golden Globes, including Best Foreign Language Film and Best Actress for Awkwafina. Also released last year, the South Korean film
Parasite dominated English-language award shows, including the BAFTAs, the Golden Globes, the SAG Awards and the Oscars, where it took home Best Picture, Best International Feature Film, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay for Bong Joon-ho.[video_embed id='1896021']RELATED: Ben Mulroney impresses Bong Joon Ho with his Korean[/video_embed]
