Author and chef Eddie Huang will enter the world of directing for the first time with a coming-of-age film set in contemporary New York City, Deadline reports.
Boogie, also written by Huang, tells the story of a young Chinese American basketball phenom who struggles to balance the expectations of his immigrant family and his own dreams to play in the NBA. Newcomer Taylor Takahashi will play Boogie, while Pamelyn Chee (Prescient, Beyond Skyline) and Jorge Lendeburg Jr. (Spiderman: Far From Home, Love, Simon) are set to co-star.
Huang, the son of Taiwanese immigrants, said a lot of his existing work has presented the Asian American experience “like a triumphal arch.”
“Planet Asia needed me to stand out here with my two arms up, but I’m in my Purple Phase now,” Huang said in a statement Monday. “Boogie is the reflection of my ancestor’s spirit and values as I’ve always felt them navigating me through this American life.”
Huang’s debut screen project will be produced and domestically distributed by Focus Features.
“[Huang] lays waste to expectations and shapes the ground of our culture with every new endeavor he embarks upon, and we couldn’t be any more proud or excited to a part of bringing his voice to the world,” Focus chairman Peter Kujawski said. “Hold on tight and watch what he does here.”
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