Mediacorp actor Shaun Chen has gone into filmmaking and his first project will be a Chinese New Year movie.
The Malaysia-born star’s production company Filmforce Studio is working on road comedy film A Bit Crazy Journey with comedian Jaspers Lai as screenwriter, director and lead actor.
Jaspers previously wrote the script for local movies Number 1 (2020) and its 2025 sequel titled Number 2, and directed Let’s Get Rich (2024).
The film follows an old woman (played by Hong Kong star Nancy Sit) and young man (Jaspers) on a getaway road trip during Lunar New Year, with additional elements of gangster crime and family bonds.
At a press conference held on July 16 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 39-year-old Jaspers told Chinese daily Lianhe Zaobao: “This script, which is based on Bao Ya Gu (one of his comedy personas), has been in the works for about three years and has finally taken shape.
“With the addition of new actors and characters, the plot has had to be adjusted accordingly. Actually, we just had a table read today and the script and dialogue are still being revised!”
Hours before going into filming, Jaspers took to Instagram on July 17 with a heartfelt post: “Courage is a terrifying thing… 15 minutes before the press conference began, I couldn’t hold myself back anymore. I slipped into the toilet alone and cried for a long time. But I didn’t dare make a sound! I simply let the tears flow freely and silently.
“It wasn’t merely a feeling of being moved. In those tears were gratitude, appreciation and the relief of finally having made it this far. But there was also regret, helplessness and indescribable emotions I’ve carried with me all these years, along with a fear of the unknown – one that no one else can bear for you.”
He reflected on the arduous journey to pursue a dream, ultimately realising that it came with “a series of trials” and that what frightened him more than failure was cowardice.
“Destinations are just merely places on a map; journeys are where life truly unfolds,” reflected Jaspers.
“So I’ve begun to learn to let go of the obsession with reaching a specific destination and instead treat every encounter, breath and time we’ve fought side by side as a gift. Thank you to all my companions who’ve fought alongside me on this journey.”
Also starring in A Bit Crazy Journey are local actor Mark Lee who cameos as a gang leader, Malaysian influencers Wen Shusen and K-Lao Lay Kar Heng and Chinese content creator Chen Tudou.
This is Filmforce Studio’s first full-fledged movie project and Shaun disclosed the production budget is approximately RM3.5 million (S$1.10 million). Besides securing investments in Singapore, the company also applied for the Malaysian government’s Fimi (Film in Malaysia Incentive) which greatly cut production costs.
The 47-year-old will also make a cameo appearance in the film as a policeman.
Primarily in Mandarin and Cantonese with bits of Hokkien and colloquial English, A Bit Crazy Journey is set to premiere next Lunar New Year (early February 2027) in both Singapore and Malaysia cinemas.
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kristy.chua@asiaone.com
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