by: Ravi Philemon/
According to Sina News, Actor Tony Leung Chiu Wai will play the role of former-Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew in a movie to be jointly-produced in Hong Kong and Singapore titled, “1965″.
Developed jointly by Homerun pictures and We picture, Lee Kuan Yew’s struggle for the independence of Singapore will be the inspiration for this movie.
The film will try and showcase the ninety days of turmoil, the ethnic strife and the political struggle which led to the forming of modern Singapore in 1965.
To be produced at a budget of US five million dollars and directed jointly by Hong Kong’s Peter Chan and Singapore’s Lee Thean Jeen, it is planned to be screened before Singapore’s National Day in 2012.
On its website, Homerun Asia says that it will be produced “in the same vein as the western political thrillers such as ‘Munich’ and ‘Empire of the Sun’.”
With a star cast of Tony Leung, Maggie Cheung and Oscar-nominee Julian Moore, the producers hope to to rewrite Singapore’s film history. The mainly Asian team of producers, writers and researchers attached to the movie, hope to create an intense and compelling narrative of a South East Asian political drama never told on the big screen.
The producers are in talks to film live the 2011 National Day Parade, which they hope to include in the movie, to create a sense of realism to the movie.
The leading watch retail chain City Chain has reportedly agreed to sponsor 1 million dollars towards the making of 1965.
–
Note: This article was edited on July 14, at 6.35 pm after it was first published.
HELP keep the voice of TOC alive!
If you like this article, please consider a small donation to help theonlinecitizen.com stay alive. Please note that we can only accept donations from Singaporeans. Thank you for your assistance.Do you have a flair for writing? Volunteer with us. Email us your full name and contact details to theonlinecitizen@gmail.com
At long last, LEE KUAN YEW, THE MOVIE!!!
No actor is fit to play LKY, because he’s a legend that will never be replaced. This is a real insult.
Is anyone playing the role of Nathan, who also played a significant part in calming the ethnic strife and was part of the political struggle which led to the forming of modern Singapore?
so handsome!!!
“Nowadays act Lee also must find Foreign Talent”. Well, for this S-hole pap government, the definition of foreign talent is very simple as long as you are a foreigner you are a talent. If you are a local you are number one complainter and no talent
OMG??
a movie? WAIT, you mean he is already dead?
Not sure any taker? Five years to repent.
first thing that came to mind ….BOYCOTT!
3 reasons….
1) the movie will change history to make him a hero which he isn’t.
2) he will definately be collecting royalties…which he wont need.
3) his ego is already over-inflated, need to dent it by making the movie a flop.
Amitabh Bachchan is acting co-star jb jeyaretnam.
Haha Mr. “Leung Chow Wei”
Wow, now all Foreigners, even our former ISD Director was a foreigner – believed Indonesian Chinese, and became SPH CEO .
Wonder where is he now. Any idea anyone
first movie for lky
last movie for tony leung..haha
yamagata why not you play the man nathan,since you understand him so well n you are his clone you don even need a script.it will be movie of the century sure full house.
tell the producer and the director you don need a script writer and add on the fees to yours,maybe its a grammy material.huh u never know,right?it might also break all the bollywood records,you will become a sensation overnight thus a new millionaire is born,singaporeans will be so proud of you at yamagata maybe you really is gata…another lunatic fringe.
Just another glorifying moment before bucket KICKED….so far most if not all movies portray good guys or bad guys after their death. Should be starring NgEngHen…the really look alike when young.
Wasted, TCS local actors/actress must be fuming with madness. It gotten be a international blockbuster movie.
According to Chinese customs, very bad luck to have yourself portray on films, statues, carvings of any sort, if you are still alive and kicking well.
Don’t say this is superstition.
As for Nathan, don’t think he ever dares.
Anyway, he’s not worth that much to attract film makers, they don’t give him a damn, the film is bound to be a flop on the international scene.
He’s nothing like Gandhi, a great historical figure of India.
We should use Gurmit Singh!
Why not 1944…?
sounds nicer…we all know what happened in 1965…
but not much news about him working for Imperial Japan.
Sad that it takes a foreign movie company to realize the potential of our own stories
They should cast Edison Chen as young Lee and show scenes of the Infernal ISD Affairs. They should also show Election of the Hatchet Man, Head of the Lightning Gang.
It is a XXX moive?
I’ll rather go see ‘Dumb and Dumber’.
will it do as well as his books?
OMG,then all Msian Govt late politicians will be demonized just to make LKY a perfect Spore Founder !
who will play Lim Chin Siong?
Andy Lau can play Lim Chin Siong.
another brainwashing of singaporean
The LKY movie is rate at CAT III, no surprise after all.
Edison Chen may play junior Lee Hsien Loong school teen !!!
No Singaporeans in the cast?
Only foreigners? I will save my money.
Will we see the REAL history or just dramatized for the movie with a hero and villains?
The story line and script should be audited by independent individuals who had witnessed the events and not base on a person’s writings which can be bias. The movie also must not be sponsored for commercial purpose!
Whenever there is an autobio, history book , hard truth, movie, we should always question its credibility in terms of biasness and any hidden motive or agenda.
Will it just sing the praise?
Will it show anything bad about anyone or thing?
Humans are perfect?
Will it be allowed?
Who approved it?
Who is behind it?
Who has shares in the movie company?
I not born yesterday.
I, for one, predict a grand comedy which will endure for all the ages of humanity.
Holy cow, forgot the earlier Malaysian leaders like Tun Abdul Rahman, the then Finance Minister Tan something would be mentioned. Would this part of the movie jeopardise the recently healing, cosy relations with Malaysian PM Najib. The part of Singapore being kicked out of Malaysia, there was much acrimony between LKY and the Malaysian Parliament.
Told you so, bad omen to have one’s life portrayed in a movie when still alive.
Maybe LKY knows instinctively something is going to happen.
But then, old man Lee once said he dun believe in God and ghosts, but daughter Wei Ling believes in the supernatural, after her operation on her stomach, which kept infected and took a long time to heal. The operation was done in the Lunar Ghost 7th month.
Bad idea to make such a movie at this time. The first picture ( now replaced by a much younger Lee) showed he needed two bodyguards for support, in case he fell again. Really bad omen.
I am sure the ISD guy has slipped away using a changed identity and may had some of his features altered so he would not be recognized.
Maybe this film will save a lot of votes in 2016.
Who will star as KGC? Maggie Cheung?
Hopefully this is not another tax-payer funded program to glorify LKY. Who in the hell would be interested in his story..even his book is now sold mainly at throw out book sales. Even then hardly anyone buys!
hope they would not purposely left out the important part where the body guard was being shot.
LKY can’t speak chinese (at that point of time). I wonder if Tony Leung going to speak in English…
Anyway, this film is nothing more than a tool to promote LKY and PAP as we all know that PAP is getting less support from younger generation of Singaporeans.
Tony Leung never play a villain role, did he?
It will be fundamentally wrong if the dialogues are all in Chinese or Cantonese.
LKY didn’t speak Chinese actively till the late 80′s or 90′s.
All those aunties and uncles will be bussed and offered free lunch to go watch ! Wah looks like another blockbuster! After that movie will be compulsory viewing for FT before citizenship swearing in/PR approval? Actually looks like a sad day for local movie history as local actors probably end up as carelefare!!! No pride la.
Mediacorp should fund the movie and make it into a trilogy. Using state of the art technology IMAX 3D, animation and other restoration of historical footage. It’s going be a compulsory history lesson for all Singaporeans.
They should get the most famous composer/musicians for the movie theme song and do a broadway, cartoon animation and comic book version.
Hello, Mai Gong “Liang Chow Wei” leh!
BTW, Will he be showing his butt? Oops, that’s the other Tony.
GOD’S GREATEST GIFT OF A LEADER TO SINGAPORE!
Of course, I’m referring to our venerable MM Lee Kuan Yew. At last he going to be immortalisd in a Hong Kong movie.
I’m not saying he is perfect. Dreadful for me to say he’s perfect when he himself had said that he had made mistakes. But we have to respect him for his evergreen mind, his towering intellect, his time management, his longevity, his success as a good parent and grandparent, his incredible personal discipline in matters of health (his diet, exercise, etc); and the way he had led and developed Singapore. Only a great leader like him can do all these.
Of course a great leader like MM Lee Kuan Yew must succeed to inspire very talented and capable leaders. He had with people like Dr Goh Keng Swee, Dr Toh Chin Chye, Mr Devan Nair, Mr S Rajaratnam, Mr Ong Pang Boon, etc, to work with him for our then vulnerable Singapore. And for Singapore at that stage of our political, social and economic development, I would prefer a pugilistic leader than a nice-nice one like his son PM Lee Hsien Loong. But of course for Singapore now, we need a friendly, patient, sincere, unassuming, caring and hardworking one like PM LHL, to inspire all of us to work with him and make Singapore into God’s most beloved nation on planet earth.
Unfortunately, anti-LKY sentiments are still very strong. How true that “A prophet is not without honour, except among his own people.”
Well, MM Lee isn’t a prophet and there are many people who admire him geatly, in very flattering but comparative terms. Unfortunately, many will only appreciate him and will suddenly feel a great loss only on the day he passes away. Criticise him by all means if that is the right thing to do. But please give him the many credits that he jolly well deserves, especially when he is still alive to read and/or listen to them.
And yet there are those who will hate LKY no matter what good he has done and accomplished. To these benighted and hate-driven souls, let me suggest to you fellows to make a trip to N Korea and bad-mouth their Dear Leader Kim Jong Il the way you people love to bad-mouth MM Lee so freely. And see whether you people can come home to Singapore in one piece. If you chaps are minced up or incercerated in their communist gulags for life, don’t cry father-mother and blame me for taking up by stupid suggestion to go there and badmouth their demon-possessed leader Kim Jong Il.
May God bless our venerable MM Lee and his loved ones! May HE bless us all too!! Majulah Singapura!!!
Are you sure? Tony Leung the brooding, melancholic thespian, as Lee Kuan Yew, the ultra-pragmatist, one-man-locomotive Godfather of Singapore?