While the two-time Oscar winner is busy developing a drama about the Tham Luang cave rescue for MGM, Ron Howard has found another new project in the form of a biopic centered on acclaimed Chinese pianist Lang Lang, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
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Based on Lang and David Ritz’s memoir Journey of a Thousand Miles, the untitled biopic will chart the musician’s incredible life story from his childhood in the provincial city of Shenyang in Northern China to the peak of the modern global classic music industry, all the while his family sacrifices almost everything to help their son succeed.
“Dream big, work hard, and always believe in yourself,” Lang said in a statement. “This movie, thanks to Ron Howard’s vision, will inspire young people around the world to follow their dreams and never forget they are one in a million.“
Click here to purchase the 2008 memoir upon which the film will be based!
Michelle and Kieran Mulroney (Sherlock Homes: A Game of Shadows) are attached to adapt the memoir for the screen, with Brian Grazer set to produce the film via his and Howard’s Imagine Entertainment production banner, while Lang and Jean-Jacques Cesbron will executive produce with Polygram Entertainment’s Michele Anthony and David Blackman. Stuart Ford’s AGC Studios are attached to finance the project.
“Lang Lang’s story is one of determination, passion, sacrifice, and finding the inner strength to beat the odds,” Grazer and Howard said in a joint statement. “This film is a bridge between two cultures that share universal truths about the gauntlets we face in the pursuit of greatness.“
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While Howard is currently awaiting to begin production on the Thai cave story, Thirteen Lives, he is planning to begin production on the Lang biopic shortly after in China and the U.S. with both Mandarin and English dialogue.
(Photo Credits: Getty Images)