Singapore ― In the upcoming Chinese New Year, another local movie airing in the cinemas next year, besides Mark Lee and Xiang Yun’s Reunion Dinner.Â
On Sept 29, veteran director Jack Neo had a virtual press conference to announce that he would be making Ah Girls Go Army, a movie based on the fictitious scenario of Singapore female citizens having to serve mandatory national service (NS).
“What if the population of young people drop below the level that we need to sustain our defence? We know that [Singapore’s] birth rate is dropping each year. Can our Singaporean women step up to the challenge of defending our nation, the same as [what] we ask of our men? This is what I want to explore in our new movie,” Neo said.
Apple Chan, a Hong Kong-born Singaporean actress who was formerly with TVB is the only confirmed cast member currently reported Asia One. The 32-year-old previously appeared as Lieutenant Zhang Xinyi in part four of Jack’s popular franchise Ah Boys To Men (ABTM).
The stars who formerly shot to fame in ABTM will be making special cameos in Ah Girls Go Army which has a production budget between SGD1.6 million to SGD1.8 million. According to Neo, Mindef will not be involved.
At the press conference, Neo also threw out a casting net for fresh faces, male and female for Ah Girls Go Army. According to the director, he is searching for talents with different looks and sizes, whether they are feminine, tomboyish, Ah Lians, curvy, or have a martial arts background. They should, however, look between 18 and 30 on-screen.
Neo especially wants you to audition if you tower over others with a height of 1.8 m to 2 m. Those who are interested in taking part can upload a short video of themselves acting out a scene to their Instagram or Facebook accounts, tagging @jteamsg and @mm2singapore, and hashtagging #AhGirlsGoArmy. And remember to make your profile public.
Ah Girls Go Army, presented and distributed by J Team Productions and mm2 Entertainment, is slated for release on Feb 1, 2022. /TISG