Hong Kong stars Selena Lee, Kenny Kwan and Adam Pak are to take the lead roles in an Asian remake of Richard Linklater’s 2001 drama Tape, which is set to begin filming next month.
The film will be directed by Bizhan Tong as a co-production between Tong’s Phoenix Waters Productions, Marvion and Agog Films.
The original starred Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman and Robert Sean Leonard and took place in real time. The remake – also titled Tape – centres on three friends who, following an event at a graduation party that transforms their lives, reunite 15 years later where a case of blackmail forces them to confront a secret from their past.
Kwan, Lee and Adam Pak play the contemporary versions of the characters while Mason Fung, Summer Chan and Angus Yeung portray their younger selves.
The script is written by Stephen Belber, Tong, Lee and Bonnie Lo, and is an adaptation of Belber’s own scripts from both the original film and stage play. Tong, Lee and Belber are also producers on the project.
”The film is mostly set in real time but we will also span different time periods to showcase both their younger and contemporary versions,” Tong told Screen.
”The remake updates to reflect the use of and our dependence on technology today, while also adapting to the world as it is now and making full use of the Hong Kong setting. Even the title has a subtly different meaning, with the original being the physical tape whereas our remake stresses the act of taping itself.”
Hong Kong-Canadian actress Lee is known for roles in Hong Kong series Barrack O’Karma as well as Canadian series Blood And Water. Actor and singer Kwan’s credits include The Twin Flower Legend, Your Highness, and Herman Yau’s upcoming Customs Frontline. Pak recently led the ViuTV series Inevitable and stars in recent Hong Kong feature Breakout Brothers 3. Fung won best supporting actor at the Hong Kong Film Awards last month for his performance Zero To Hero.
Linklater’s feature debuted at Sundance in 2001 before playing Toronto, taking $490,000 at the US box office when released in November that year.
Tape is one of several projects Phoenix Waters Productions and Marvion have partnered on to produce in Hong Kong. Filming of Tong’s previously announced zombie action thriller Chungking Mansions has been pushed to 2023. Other projects in development include drama series Crypto Keepers and superhero series Evos. Tong’s crime series Forensic Psychologist, led by Jeannie Chan, is in post-production with Endeavor Content handling global distribution and remake rights.
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