Indie Romantic Comedy with All-Asian Cast Is The U.S. Feature Film Debut
Of Acclaimed Director Tom Shu-Yu Lin
King Street Pictures, Storyoscopic Films, Waymaker Pictures, Jupiter Peak Productions, and Abbott Street Films announced today the companies wrapped principal photography on the romantic comedy, WORTH THE WAIT. The independent English language film marks the U.S. directorial debut of award-winning Taiwanese filmmaker, Tom Shu-Yu Lin (“The Garden of Evening Mists,” “Zinnia Flower”). Set against the intercontinental backdrops of Seattle and Kuala Lumpur, WORTH THE WAIT is a modern, whip-smart romantic comedy following a year in the interconnected lives and romances of an all-Asian ensemble cast.
WORTH THE WAIT stars Lana Condor (“To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before” franchise, “Moonshot”), Andrew Koji (“Bullet Train,” “Warrior”), Ross Butler (“Shazam!” franchise, “To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before” franchise), Sung Kang (“Fast & Furious” franchise, “Obi-Wan Kenobi”), Elodie Yung (“The Cleaning Lady,” “Daredevil”), Karena Lam (“American Girl,” “Zinnia Flower”), Osric Chau (“Supernatural,” “The Flash”), Ali Fumiko Whitney (“The Road Dance” and the upcoming film “The Islander” with Harry Connick, Jr.), Ricky He (“The Good Doctor,” “From”), Kheng Hua Tan (“Crazy Rich Asians,” “Kung Fu”) and Yu-Beng Lim (“Rebel Moon,” “Mr. Midnight: Beware the Monsters”).
Said Lin, “After 15 years of directing in Asia, I’m thrilled to make my first U.S. film with such incredibly talented actors and accomplished fellow filmmakers. Growing up in both the U.S. and Taiwan, the American side of my upbringing has always been a huge part of who I am, and I am so excited to finally be able to showcase that with ‘Worth The Wait.’”
Considered to be among the leading directors of his generation, Lin’s most recent film, “The Garden of Evening Mists,” was nominated for nine Golden Horse Awards (the Chinese equivalent of the Oscars®) including Best Director and Best Narrative Feature. His other critically acclaimed films include his debut film, “Winds of September,” for which he won a Golden Horse Award for Best Screenplay, as well as “Zinnia Flower” and “Starry Starry Night,” both for which he earned Golden Horse Award nominations for Best Screenplay.
WORTH THE WAIT is a screenplay by Maggie Hartmans. It is produced by Dan Mark and Rachel Tan under their shingle, King Street Pictures (2021 Toronto International Film Festival Official Selection “Snakehead,” the upcoming theatrical film “Sight” starring Greg Kinnear); George Lee and Marcus Englefield on behalf of their company, Storyoscopic Films (“Animal Crackers” and the upcoming “Tiger Mom” starring Ken Jeong); and Vincent Xie of Waymaker Pictures. Its financiers are Waymaker Pictures and Jupiter Peak Productions (Producer of the award-winning film, “American,” about the Japanese internment camps, starring George Takei).
“We’ve always loved ensemble romantic comedies like ‘Love Actually’ and are so excited to be able to share our own take on the genre with an all Asian cast and a script inspired by our own love story, our family, and different stages of our lives,” remarked Mark and Tan. “Having produced Asian American films since 2015, we feel honored for our labor of love to be a part of this incredible moment that Asian Americans are having in cinema right now.”
Added Lee and Englefield of Storyoscopic Films, “In the U.S., the Asian population is the fastest growing ethnic group, and overall, minorities comprise the majority of ticket-buyers at opening weekend. With the success of films like ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once,’ ‘Shang-Chi,’ ‘Always Be My Maybe,’ and our own actor Lana Condor’s ‘To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before’ franchise, it’s clear there is a wide audience for diverse stories.”
Said Xie, “I started this company to produce films that I would be proud to see as part of our Asian/Asian American canon of films. The international scope of ‘Worth The Wait,’ combined with the delicate balance between artistry and entertainment, is exactly the type of film that fits Waymaker Pictures’ mandate.”
Executive Producers are Matt Drake of Abbott Street Films, Steve Shapiro of Argus Entertainment Capital, as well as actors Lana Condor under her Serious Bird Studios banner and Andrew Koji through his company Warmth Entertainment.
WORTH THE WAIT wrapped principal photography this week in Vancouver and Kuala Lumpur.
Lana Condor is repped by CAA and Persona PR. Andrew Koji is repped by Principal Entertainment LA, UTA, Conway van Gelder Grant, and Independent Public Relations. Ross Butler is repped by Sam Lufti, UTA, and The Lede Company. Sung Kang is repped by Entertainment 360, CAA, Goodman Genow Schenkman Smelkinson + Christopher, LLP, and The Lede Company. Elodie Yung is repped by Industry Entertainment, CAA, Johnson Shapiro Slewett & Kole, and Imprint. Karena Lam is repped by Media Asia Talent Management Limited. Osric Chau is repped by Echelon Talent Management, BRS/Gage Talent Agency, and PR Machine. Ali Fumiko Whitney is repped by Brave Artists Management and CESD Talent Agency.Ricky He is repped by Venture Entertainment Partners, Lucas Talent, and Viewpoint. Kheng Hua Tan is repped by Zero Gravity Management, GVA Talent Agency, and FLY Entertainment. Yu-Beng Lim is repped by Echelon Talent Management and BRS/Gage Talent Agency.
Follow the film on Instagram @worththewaitmovie.