Daniel Dae Kim and Randall Park’s fine selves are teaming up for an Asian-American heist style film that was picked up by Amazon Studios. This is seemingly good news for Kim who contracted COVID in March and has been on the mend. It will also be remiss of me to not mention that a few weeks ago Daniel posted a Tik Tok of him and his sons that was adorable, but we will get to that later.
Randall and Daniel worked together in Always Be My Maybe and it have been friends for quite some time. There hasn’t been a date set for a release for the untitled movie and the story line is top secret but what we do know is that it will have a mostly Asian-American cast, a la Crazy Rich Asians, and will be in a similar vein as Ocean’s 11 and The Full Monty. Kim gives us a bit of a teaser about what to expect in an interview with Deadline. Here is what he said:
“I think it has nods to Ocean’s 11, The Full Monty as well as Better Luck Tomorrow,” Kim tells Deadline. The original story came from an idea that Kim, Park and 3AD’s Head of Development John Cheng brewed. It will be led by Park and Kim who will assemble an ensemble made up of primarily Asian American actors. Kim added, “It’s a story that kind of highlights community, friendship, unity in a very familiar genre that people I think will enjoy.”
Kim and Park are old friends and have been always been in sync. In a joint statement, the pair said, in unison: “We can’t wait to join with Young to tell this special story of friendship, pride and community. We’re also very grateful to Amazon for their exceptional enthusiasm and support.”
Adding to that sentiment, Kim said that they want to include as much of the community as they can and it is why they set out to make this type of project. “We love heist movies,” Kim says. “We want to be inclusive and we feel like there’s a story here to be told. It’s super exciting… 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.”
Anything that allows me to see Daniel’s chiseled cheekbones and muscles and Park’s cute smile on my screen has my attention. And I really love Guy Richie-esque heist movies. One with a mostly Asian cast is going to be lit. I am also enjoying how BIPOC are taking the reins and telling their own stories and not waiting for Hollywood to do so.
Another thing that is exciting is that the Asian men will be the leads of the film. Perhaps being the leading men in movies written by Asian men will also help dispel a lot of the emasculating tropes about them. It should also give America a peek into Asian communities especially since COVID and the President have fostered anti-Asian sentiments. The other thing I like about this project is how inclusive Kim and Park wish to be as it concerns Asian communities. One of the biggest complaints about Crazy Rich Asians from my Malay friends from Singapore is how it was centered only on Chinese-Singaporeans.
Hollywood has generally been the gatekeepers to the stories being told about POC. With the growing power of online platforms such as Amazon and Netflix, we will get to see the green-lighting of more diverse films, shows and casts. So bring on the comedy, robberies, and action because I am loving how the action genre is expanding to be more inclusive to women and BIPOC.
Why was my first thought when I saw this TikTok “OMG I NEED TO SEND THIS TO @spacejessss” pic.twitter.com/fmWCS4Wk8N
— 💕brooklyn💕 (@br00klynb0und) July 19, 2020
Photos credit: Netflix, Avalon.red and via Instagram
Oh la la I LOVE heist films and these two men are sooo handsome & so very talented. Can’t wait to see this!
I feel like Daniel hasn’t aged since Angel, which is where I first saw him. And that was the early aughts.
Awesome – I love to see this! I have Asian teenagers and it’s a huge deal when they can see themselves represented on screen.
Have they watched Kim’s Convenience? I watched it at the beginning of quarantine, it’s cute and sweet, and was so sad when I ran out of episodes!
As they say, take my money.
They can take my money and anything else they want . . . [swoon]
Omg! Yes! Every time I see pics of these dudes, they get finer and finer! Sweet Lord! I hope they plan multiple sequels already and I’m ready to watch it all! Wow, just gazing on their fineness is the jump start I needed today!
🙌🙌🙌🙌🙂
On subject of gazing can we please have some shots of them gazing at things in between the action?
Seriously.
Execs have been idiots sleeping on DDK. And Park is super talented and a good heist movie? So much yes.
I have been watching and rooting for Randall Park ever since the web-show IKEA HEIGHTS!! It was a hilarious soap opera a bunch of young LA actors were taping in their local Ikea (totally against the law), and Randall Park was the best actor in the bunch. If you had eyes, you could just tell he was going to be the star someday.
As for Daniel Dae Kim, I was honestly kind of freaked out when he admitted he found out he had Covid right after he flew on a public airplane… and when he very seriously said he was arranging to give his blood to science, I really thought that sounded like too little, too late. But recently I read that we’ve learned antibody-rich plasma really does save lives in the ICU!! So… his instincts were right-on; it sounds like survivors can really help others by donating their blood. It honestly changed how I feel about him.
P.S. I want to see way more Asian-American representation in film!! It’s weird, but… because I grew up with way-older Midwestern relatives who adopted me (in *Texas*), I actually get a lot out of “third culture” stories like Always Be My Maybe. I don’t feel any ownership over that type of story; it’s just the only type of story I *do* happen to relate to. 🙂 One of the reasons we should fight for better Hollywood representation is because a lot of our underrepresented stories can be told best by folks who, surprise, have underrepresented stories!
On Twitter I love to follow William Yu, the creator of the #StarringJohnCho hashtag. After Scarlett Johansson made comments about her own ability to play whoever she wanted, William started deepfaking scenes from random action movies, showing that handsome John Cho was capable of playing every role! If you care about representation but also want to have your own perceptions challenged, I highly recommend following him.
P.P.S. Thank you for showing off Randall Park with an Adrian Tomine comic. He is such an important writer/artist of the ’00s and anyone who has ever felt disenfranchised should scope out his work!!!
Thanks for the twitter tip. I love John Cho!
Not sorry for hoping that the reference to The Full Monty is DDK stripping off based, rather than grim northern mining town based.
Yup…I’m here for that. In fact, I’m here for anything that Daniel Dae Kim wants to act in, produce, or whisper in my ear as he’s snuggled up next to me.
A nod to Better Luck Tomorrow you say Daniel.
Now, I’m not saying that I want John Cho in all things, but I am saying I want him in all things along with this film.
Seconded! He is so dreamy! #JohnCho4eva <3
Omg John Cho in everything please…
I absolutely love South Korean dramas. If this is going to an Oceans 11 style movie, I wondering if it will be a big cast and if there will be space for some amazing South Korean actors or they will go for mostly Asian American actors. Either way, will be watching this.
More of this! Stories told by POC, with support in front & behind the camera.
Yes! And love stories and scenes! I would especially love to see a romance that features Asian Men and Black Women – the two groups who are supposedly considered least desirable in dating apps. We need more positive promotion and representations of love for these demographics.
Yes, please! I watch every Japanese, Korean, and Chinese film I can get my hands on. So I am ready for more, more Asian-American films. As well as more Black centered films, more Latinx-American films, More films including all our diversity. More.
Oya, if you want chiseled cheekbones, check out Andy Lau, one of the leading stars of Hong Kong films. Infernal Affairs is a good place to start.
Andy Lau can….get….it.
That’s it. That’s the reply.
‘Nuff said.👍🏻 When he and Tony Leung are together …😜
It’s alarming how hot Daniel Dae Kim is.
Unfortunately this is the kind of film that is sure to make me fall asleep 10mns in 🤷🏽♀️
Give me Farewell with Awkafina any day of the week. That was awesome (and my son developed a huge crush on her 😁).
DDK could set off smoke alarms. Aging like fine wine. Hubba hubba.
Oya I’m shook you have Malay Singaporean friends. Anyway the thing about the movie was we understand the characters are Chinese but it was more of an American movie than a Singaporean one. It’s a win for American Asians yes (which really need more representation) but average Singaporeans (Chinese, Indians, Malays, Eurasians) don’t see it as a Singaporean movie even though the book is based on a Singaporean family. Also the brown folks were relegated to the service positions. It’s just another Hollywood show centred on a very specific East Asian community. I must acknowledge that the show casted one of the best actresses in Singapore (Tan Kheng Hua) and I’m so happy for her. She is uhmazing. Also we can’t expect one movie to be everything.
So the Crazy Rich Asian movie is not the great Asian victory Westerners claim it to be but if it was an important victory to East Asian Americans then that is still a good thing.
Anyway I love DDK and wish them all the best. Sure I’d love to see more SEA representation aside from Chinese, Japanese, Korean actors but this is still a crucial step forward.
Yep, that is what they ALL said. Exactly that. My Malay Singaporean friends are first generation American and biracial. One Malay parent and one white parent. But brown AF and was pissed about the movie. So I am definitely looking forward to this movie with DDK and RP.
That Tik Tok is the cutest! BRB, recreating with my own kids😍
Yes it is so cute!
Yay, this sounds good, and I am all for it. I like DDK a lot, and Randall too.
Good lord DDK looks like he is chiseled from stone. Randall Park is just so funny and charming. I don’t care what movie they are making…10/10 will watch lol.
Daniel Dae Kim is the best looking man! Henry Goulding too…gorgeous guys!
Looking forward to it.
I’d watch the heck out of this! Hi Asian Americans, make the productions we need to see 😭
Hawaii 5-0 would hold its season premiere on the beach in Waikiki every year. I got to see Daniel Dae Kim in person–along with everyone else. My god, so handsome! And so friendly! The entire cast was so gracious to the fans.
Love the representation, but I have to say that this is a lot of hotness for one film. Can’t wait.
I would love to see this. Both are great actors and holy crap Daniel has amazing bone structure! Hot