Lana Condor, Andrew Koji, Ross Butler, Sung Kang, Elodie Yung & Others Set For Tom Shu-Yu Lin’s Indie Rom-Com ‘Worth The Wait’

EXCLUSIVE: Lana Condor (To All The Boys franchise), Andrew Koji (Bullet Train), Ross Butler (Shazam! franchise), Sung Kang (Fast & Furious franchise) and Elodie Yung (The Cleaning Lady) are among those set to star in Worth the Wait, a romantic comedy marking the U.S. directorial debut of award-winning Taiwanese filmmaker Tom Shu-Yu Lin (The Garden of Evening Mists), which has wrapped production in Vancouver and Kuala Lumpur.

Others cast include Karena Lam (American Girl), Osric Chau (Supernatural), Ali Fumiko Whitney (The Road Dance), Ricky He (From), Kheng Hua Tan (Crazy Rich Asians) and Yu-Beng Lim (Rebel Moon).

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An English-language indie set against the intercontinental backdrops of Seattle and Kuala Lumpur, which is said to be in the vein of Love Actually, Worth the Wait follows a year in the interconnected lives and romances of an all-Asian ensemble cast. Script is written by Maggie Hartmans. Producers include Dan Mark and Rachel Tan for King Street Pictures (Snakehead, upcoming Sight), George Lee and Marcus Englefield for Storyoscopic Films (Animal Crackers, upcoming Tiger Mom), and Vincent Xie of Waymaker Pictures. Exec producers are Matt Drake of Abbott Street Films, Steve Shapiro of Argus Entertainment Capital, Condor under her Serious Bird Studios banner and Koji through his company Warmth Entertainment. The financiers are Waymaker Pictures and Jupiter Peak Productions (American). Leslie Woo handled casting.

Said Lin in a statement to Deadline, “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.'”

Stated King Street Pictures’ Mark and Tan, “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. 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.”

“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,” observed Storyoscopic Films’ Lee and Englefield. “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.”

“I started this company to produce films that I would be proud to see as part of our Asian/Asian American canon of films,” added Waymaker Pictures’ Xie. “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.”

Best known for starring in the hit franchise To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before for Netflix, Condor has also previously been seen in films like Moonshot, Alita: Battle Angel, Patriots Day and X-Men: Apocalypse. She voices the title role in DreamWorks’ forthcoming animated film Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken, out June 30th via Universal, and will also soon be seen in 87North’s actioner Ballerina Overdrive and Monarch Media’s thriller Valiant One, among other projects.

Koji leads the Cinemax series Warrior, which moves to Max for its third season out June 29th. Notable film credits for the actor include Bullet Train, Snake Eyes and the forthcoming Boy Kills World.

Known for portraying Super Hero Eugene in Warner Bros’ Shazam! films, Butler appeared in multiple installments of the To All the Boys franchise and has also been seen on series like Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens, Riverdale and 13 Reasons Why.

Currently in theaters with Fast X, the latest chapter in the Fast & Furious franchise in which he stars opposite Vin Diesel and many more, Kang has also recently been seen in the film Snakehead and on series like Obi-Wan Kenobi, Lisey’s Story, Power and Power Book II: Ghost.

Yung leads Fox’s crime drama series The Cleaning Lady, which has been renewed for a third season, and is otherwise best known on the TV side for her role as Elektra in the Marvel series Daredevil and The Defenders. Notable film credits include Secret Society of Second Born Royals, The Hitman’s Bodyguard and David Fincher’s take on The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

Lin’s most recent film, The Garden of Evening Mists, snagged nine nominations at the Golden Horse Awards — the Chinese equivalent of the Oscars — including Best Director and Best Narrative Feature. He made his directorial debut with Winds of September, for which he won a Golden Horse Award for Best Screenplay, and has also been behind titles like Zinnia Flower and Starry Starry Night, both for which he earned Golden Horse Award nominations for Best Screenplay.

Condor is repped by CAA; Koji by Principal Entertainment LA, UTA and Conway van Gelder Grant in the UK; Butler by Sam Lufti and UTA; Kang by Entertainment 360, CAA and Goodman, Genow, Schenkman; Yung by Industry Entertainment, CAA and Johnson Shapiro Slewett & Kole; Lam by Media Asia Talent Management Limited; Chau by Echelon Talent Management and BRS/Gage; Whitney by Brave Artists Management and CESD; He by Venture Entertainment Partners and Lucas Talent; Tan by Zero Gravity Management, GVA Talent Agency and FLY Entertainment; and Lim by Echelon Talent Management and BRS/Gage.

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