Hong Kong teenager's script to be made into a Hollywood movie
Sixteen-year-old's idea, based on his school experiences, set to hit cinema screens in 2014
When 16-year-old Jeremy Lin Chong-rang started writing a comedy based on his experiences in school, he did not expect Hollywood to pick up his script and turn it into a 90-minute film.
"I'm just some kid who wrote something and then they wanted to make it into a movie," said the Year 11 Chinese International School pupil.
Lin first pitched his idea to Los Angeles-based screenwriter and investor Fabienne Wen Pao-kuen at a film workshop last year. She encouraged him to produce a full-length script, which he did over the Lunar New Year.
Impressed, Wen brought the script to Hollywood's attention, which then started a bidding war among movie executives to produce the film.
Studio Best Medicine Production won. Angel Gracia, who directed the 2011 romantic comedy From Prada to Nada, takes the reins as director for the film. Brion Hambel and Paul Jenson, who together produced the 2011 comedy Natural Selection, are on the production team.
Even Canto-pop star Alan Tam Wing-lun was roped in as executive producer after Lin tracked him down to ask for his help and mentoring in the film. "He showed me the script and I took it home to read … I told him if he had enough funds, he should go ahead," said Tam.