‘Singles’ Day' Romantic Comedy Set In China Hopes To Ride The Coattails Of ‘Crazy Rich Asians’
Valentine’s DayandNew Year’s Evedelivered cheesy romance and melodrama with an all-star cast bringing intersecting stories to life. Now, another ensemble romantic comedy is in the works from Warner Bros. Pictures and New Line Cinema to bring that formula back, but in a way that aims to replicate the success of the recent box office hitCrazy Rich Asians.
Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema have picked up a spec script calledSingles' Dayfrom writerLillian Yu, which will emulate the ensemble romantic comedy style ofValentine’s DayandNew Year’s Eve, but set the action in China during the titular holiday, when the young people of the nation take pride in being single.
Singles' Day, or Guanggun Jie as it’s known in China, is celebrated on November 11 because of the abundance of the number one in the date. The holiday is believed to have grown out of a small custom at Nanjing University, but the true story of the origin is up for debate. While the day is meant for people to celebrate being single, it has also become another holiday for couples to celebrate relationships. This was especially true in 2011 when the date of the holiday was 11/11/11, resulting in 4,000 couples getting married in Beijing on that day.
The Hollywood Reporternotes thatSingles' Daywill be a romantic comedy with multiple storylines and a large cast, and Warner Bros. is undoubtedly keen to replicate the kind of success they found last weekend withCrazy Rich Asians. As the demand for representation on the big screen grows among audiences, hopefully more movies showcasing diversity like this will continue to be prominent on studios' slates.Singles' Daywill be produced byChris Bender, who has been behind New Line’s comedies likeJust Friends,We’re the MillersandHorrible Bosses 2, and his Good Fear Films partner,Jake Weiner. As for the script’s writer, Yu is a China native who wrote for the seriesPowerlessand the upcoming Cinemax seriesWarrior. She’s also a Harvard graduate, so maybe this script will be a little sharper than hokey romantic comedies likeValentine’s DayandNew Year’s Eve.
As for the cast, this sounds like an opportunity to assemble a who’s who of Hollywood’s finest Asian actors. Personally, I’m hoping they end up giving a role to Lana Condor, who just proved how charming she is in the delightful romanceTo All the Boys I’ve Loved Beforeon Netflix, which you should check out immediately.
