THR reports that writer and restauranteur Eddie Huang will make his directorial debut with his upcoming film Boogie.
Huang is known for writing Fresh Off The Boat: A Memoroir, which was later turned into the ABC series of the same name starring Constance Wu.
Now, the 37-year-old will be sitting in the director’s chair of Boogie, which was inspired by his own Asian American experience.
Boogie focuses on a young Chinese American in New York City who tries to balance his immigrant family’s expectations with his desire of becoming an NBA star.
Taylor Takahashi, Pamelyn Chee and Jorge Lendeborg Jr. have been cast in the film. Josh Bratman of Immersive Pictures, Josh McLaughlin of Wink Productions and Michael Tadross will produce.
“A lot of my work to date has been about the ‘Asian-American Experience’ presented like a triumphal arch because that’s how I’ve felt since the Dipset Anthem dropped,” Huang said Monday in a statement.
“Planet Asia needed me to stand out here with my two arms up, but I’m in my Purple Phase now,” he added. “Boogie is the reflection of my ancestor’s spirit and values as I’ve always felt them navigating me through this American life.”
Focus Features will distribute the movie domestically, while Universal Pictures International distribute internationally.
Focus chairman Peter Kujawski said, “Eddie Huang is a bulldozer with a wrecking ball attached. He 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. Hold on tight and watch what he does here.”
In related news, Huang recently discussed the ‘model minority myth’.
