Singapore's MediaCorp Raintree Picturesis tapping into the huge China market following an agreement with the ShanghaiFilm Group to make a sequel to its 2002 box office hit I Not Stupid.

Like the first movie, I Not Stupid 2 is a satirical comedy tobe directed and written by Jack Neo. Raintree CEO Daniel Yun, who sealed thedeal in Shanghai while attending the Shanghai International Film Festival,said, 'The Shanghai Film Group has agreed to come onboard mainly because itappreciates the light-hearted approach of INot Stupid in bringing out serious messages. Films in China with seriousmessages are often too heavy handed.'

I Not Stupid 2, Raintree'sfirst collaboration with China, is set primarily in Singapore and partly inShanghai. In addition to the local cast from the first movie, new elements fromChina will be added. The education theme of the first movie will continue inthe sequel, which is about a family from China experiencing the highlycompetitive education system in Singapore.

Although the shooting time has yet to bedecided, the sequel is scheduled for a June release next year, probablysimultaneously in both Singapore and China. Yun plans to re-release I Not Stupid a few months before thelaunch of the sequel. I Not Stupid, releasedin Hong Kong, Malaysia and Taiwan, is one of the few Singaporean produced filmsto have traveled outside the country.

Raintree has previously co-produced astring of box office hits with Hong Kong, including Infernal Affairs II and TheEye 1 and 2.

Topics