Oh hell no. It looks like they've found a way to make Joy Luck Club 2. Well, not exactly, but they're definitely tapping the same vein. Fresh off her appearance on The Colbert Report, we get the groan-worthy news that Amy Chua's controversial book, Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, could possibly get adapted into a movie: 'Joy Luck Club' Producers See Movie Promise in Tiger Mom Controversy.
Are you ready for the Hollywood take on Tiger Mother? Eager to go back to the well-worn themes of Chinese American mother-daughter relationships, two of the producers of The Joy Luck Club have reportedly expressed a strong interest in adapting Chua's book for the big screen:
Ron Bass co-wrote the Joy Luck Club screenplay with the book's author, Amy Tan, and co-produced the movie. Bass was so excited about Chua's book as a movie prospect that he almost lied about its worth to throw others off the scent.Make no mistake -- controversy sells. Like I've said before, while Chua can claim all she wants that she had no say in the Wall Street Journal piece that excerpted the most controversial parts of the book, I highly doubt she's regretting any of the book sales spurred by that stunt. And it's that same controversy that fueling interest behind a possible movie.
"I was tempted to say, 'Nah, there's nothing here,' " he says. "And then I was going to have my agent find out if the rights were available. Not only is there a movie here, I definitely think it's more than one movie."
In his estimation, the least interesting angle is the simple retelling of the Chua story.
"If the question is whether Amy's story itself is a movie, of course it could be," he says. "Is that the best way to make the movie? I doubt it."
The more gripping perspective would be a fictionalized account based on prevalent parenting themes in the book. But as for more specifics, Bass is keeping mum.
"I'm not going to give you the take," he says. "There will be 300 other people going, 'ya, absolutely.' "
One aspect he promises: "It wouldn't be a comedy."
I can just see it now... a anguished, tearful battle of wills between a mother with strict, hardass Asian values and a headstrong teen daughter just trying to get the hell out of violin practice. Meanwhile, the dutiful husband -- played by Brendan Fraser or somebody -- watches the conflict from the sidelines and just shakes his head. I dread this.
It's worth noting that one literary agent quoted in this Hollywood Reporter story is skeptical about the prospects of a Tiger Mother movie, pointing out that one prohibiting factor is "the marketability of an Asian American lead actress." At least he/she's being honest.