Sandra Oh is set to star in “Child’s Play,” the newly-announced psychological thriller from director Wang Xiaoshuai, Variety can reveal.
Bankside Films have boarded the film — set to start production in September and to be filmed on location in Toronto and North Bay, Ontario — and will be introducing it to buyers in Cannes.
“Child’s Play” — billed as a “haunting psychological thriller about guilt and redemption” — is written by acclaimed Canadian playwright Hannah Moscovitch, whose play “Sexual Misconduct of the Middle Classes” is currently playing Off-Broadway starring Hugh Jackman, and based on Alice Munro’s short story of the same name.
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The film follows Marlene Lee, the daughter of Chinese immigrant parents and who in 1983 attends an all-white summer camp for girls. In order to fit in and impress her new friend Charlene, Marlene crosses a line that will forever change her life. Some 41 years later in 2024 and have devoted herself to a successful political career, adult Marlene strives to make meaningful societal change. But as she stands on the brink of a pivotal electoral victory, dark shadows from her past resurface when she and Charlene are forced to reconnect.
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“Child’s Play” will be produced by Niv Fichman of Rhombus Media (“The Sympathizer,” “BlackBerry, Enemy,” “The Red Violin”), Mike Goodridge of Good Chaos (“Touch,” “Santosh,” “Sisu,” “Triangle of Sadness”), and Liu Xuan of Dong Chun (Shanghai) Films (“Above The Dust,” “So Long, My Son”). Stephen Kelliher serves as executive producer for Bankside Films. Elevation Pictures is releasing the film in Canada.
“We were immediately captivated by this incredible screenplay and are delighted to be working with a director whose work we have long admired,” said Kelliher. “Together with the outstanding Sandra Oh, this will be a film that audiences worldwide will enjoy.”
Xiaoshuai is a pioneering figure in Chinese Independent cinema, whose works have been showcased at prestigious film festivals including Cannes, Berlinale, Venice and San Sebastian. His 2019 film “So Long, My Son” won Silver Bears for Best Actor and Best Actress at the Berlinale International Film Festival. His film “Above The Dust” screened at the 2024 Berlin International Film Festival. Further credits include “Red Amnesia,” “Beijing Bicycle,” “Shanghai Dreams,” “11 Flowers,” “Chongqing Blues” and “In Love We Trust.”
A Golden Globe winner, BAFTA nominee and Emmy winning actor and producer, Oh’s film credits include “Quiz Lady,” “Turning Red,” “Sideways,” “Last Night” and U”nder the Tuscan Sun” and her television credits include “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Killing Eve,” “The Chair” and “The Sympathizer.”