BAD GENIUS Trailer (2024) US Remake

BAD GENIUS Trailer (2024) US Remake

BAD GENIUS Trailer (2024) US remake, Callina Liang, Benedict Wong, Taylor Hickson, Jabari Banks, Bad Genius remake, cheat
© 2024 - Vertical

Vertical has released the trailer for Bad Genius, which is an English-language remake of the hit Thai film of the same name from 2017.

The movie is described as a “high-stakes, high-octane thriller about a diverse group of students who team up to fight a system of injustice and inequity and take down the rigged academic institutions around them.”

This film tells a complex story about cheating on exams and the students who find themselves caught up in the scheme.

The story centers on Genius scholarship student Lynn Kang who starts a cheating operation at her elite private school to fund her college dreams, giving her an opportunity to challenge the American education system, and her morals.

The movie stars Callina Liang (Presence), Jabari Banks, Taylor Hickson, Sarah-Jane Redmond, Adam Beauchesne, Tina Grant, with Benedict Wong. I haven’t seen the original movie, but this movie looks really good!

The Bad Genius remake is directed by J.C. Lee and will be released in select theaters starting October 11th, 2024.
"No one can do what you do." Vertical has revealed an official trailer for Bad Genius, an English-language 2024 remake of the hit Thai film of the same name from 2017. This new version is set for a US release in October this fall, despite not showing up at any other festivals or elsewhere. The original Bad Genius from Thailand was a huge hit - we raved about it back in 2017 with this glowing review and it set new box office records in Thailand. It's a twisty, complex thriller about exam cheating and the students caught up in this scheme. Genius scholarship student Lynn Kang starts a cheating operation at her elite private school to fund her college dreams, giving her a unique opportunity to challenge the American education system, and her morals, in the process. This version stars Callina Liang (a breakout actress who also stars in Soderbergh's Presence ghost thriller), Jabari Banks, Taylor Hickson, Sarah-Jane Redmond, Adam Beauchesne, Tina Grant, with Benedict Wong. This remake looks solid, but I'm not so sure it'll top the original flick.

Here's the official trailer (+ poster) for J.C. Lee's film Bad Genius, direct from Vertical's YouTube:

Bad Genius Poster

Bad Genius Poster

Bad Genius is a high-stakes, high-octane thriller about a diverse group of students who team up to fight a system of injustice and inequity and take down the rigged academic institutions around them. Released in 2017, the original Thai version was written and directed by Nattawut Poonpiriya and produced by Thai film studio GDH 559 Company Limited. In addition to debuting at #1 at the box office in Thailand, the film quickly became the highest-grossing Thai film of the year and the most internationally successful Thai film ever, breaking box office records in several Asian countries, including China. Bad Genius is directed by producer / filmmaker J.C. Lee, after producing & writing on the series "Looking", "How to Get Away with Murder", "The Morning Show" previously. The screenplay is written by J.C. Lee & Julius Onah (also writers of Luce previously). Produced by Erik Feig, Ashley Stern, Jessica Switch, Patrick Wachsberger. Vertical will debut this Bad Genius remake in select US theaters starting October 11th, 2024 this fall. Who's curious?
Bad Genius
Year
2024
Country
Canada Canada
Director
J.C. Lee
Screenwriter
J.C. Lee, Julius Onah
Cast
Music
Marius De Vries, Matt Robertson
Cinematography
Brett Jutkiewicz
Producer
Little Ray Media, Picture Perfect Federation, Picturestart. Distributor: Austria Constantin
Genre
Thriller
Synopsis
A group of seniors of an entrepreneurial high school team up to take down a rigged college admissions system.
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Vertical has acquired North American rights to Bad Genius, an English-language remake of the same-name Thai thriller, from Picturestart, Picture Perfect Federation, and Little Ray Media. Marking the directorial debut of J.C. Lee, a veteran producer whose credits include The Morning Show and How to Get Away with Murder, the film is slated to hit select theaters in the U.S and Canada on October 11.

Bad Genius is a high-stakes, high-octane thriller about a diverse group of students who team up to fight a system of injustice and inequity and take down the rigged academic institutions around them. Released in 2017, the original Thai version was written and directed by Nattawut Poonpiriya and produced by Thai film studio GDH 559 Company Limited. In addition to debuting at #1 at the box office in Thailand, the film quickly became the highest-grossing Thai film of the year and the most internationally successful Thai film ever, breaking box office records in several Asian countries, including China.

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Lee scripted the remake with Julius Onah, with whom he previously collaborated on the Sundance Grand Jury Prize nominee Luce, adapted from Lee’s play of the same name. The pic’s cast includes Callina Liang, (Presence), Jabari Banks, (Bel-Air), Taylor Hickson (Motherland: Fort Salem) and Benedict Wong (3 Body Problem).

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Erik Feig, Jessica Switch, Patrick Wachsberger, Ashley Stern and Mallory Edens produced the new take, with Samie Kim Falvey, Julia Hammer, and Wong serving as executive producers.

In a joint statement, producers Feig and Wachsberger said, “We are very happy to partner with the Vertical team to bring Bad Genius to a wide audience. Working on this film was a wonderful experience, thanks to the quality of the source material as well as that of our production partner, Little Ray Films, and the top international distributors alongside us.”

Remarked Vertical’s SVP of Acquisitions Tony Piantedosi, “J.C. and Julius have brilliantly adapted a fast-paced thriller that examines the moral dilemmas of today’s youth and begs the question of how far someone will go to achieve academic prestige.”

Calling Bad Genius “a provocative and highly entertaining ride,” producer Edens added that she knows the film “will have audiences on the edge of their seats. I can’t wait to share it with the world and am thrilled we have found such a fantastic distribution partner for its North American release in Vertical.”

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Bad Genius
J.C. Lee
Vertical
“Luce” writer JC Lee is set to make his directorial debut with “Bad Genius,” the upcoming English-language remake of the 2017 hit Thai film “Chalard Games Goeng (Bad Genius).”

Picturestart and Picture Perfect Federation are producing the project, which will star Benedict Wong (“Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness”) alongside up-and-coming talent Callina Liang (“Tell Me Everything”) and Jabari Banks (“Bel-Air”). The film is financed by Mallory Edens’ Little Ray Media and will begin production in May.

The original film was written and directed by Nattawut Poonpiriya and produced by Thai film studio GDH 559 Company Limited. The movie debuted at No. 1 at the Thai box office, quickly becoming the country’s highest-grossing Thai film of the year and, ultimately, the most internationally successful Thai film ever.

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In addition to directing the remake, Lee reteams with “Luce” filmmaker Julius Onah to pen the script for “Bad Genius.” Their adaptation is described as “a high-stakes, high-octane thriller about a diverse group of young people who team up to fight the system of injustice and inequity and take down the rigged academic institutions around them.”

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“I am so excited to share a new take on what was already a wildly successful and remarkable film,” stated Lee. “I can’t wait to work with this fantastic, innovative group of artists, drawing on our diverse array of real world experiences to make a film as thrilling and fun as the original.”

“Bad Genius” will be produced by Erik Feig and Jessica Switch via the Picturestart banner along with Patrick Wachsberger and Ashley Stern via the Picture Perfect Federation banner, with Mallory Edens’ Little Ray Media financing. Executive producers on the project include Edens, Picturestart’s Julia Hammer and Wong.

The feature film has secured top-flight international distribution partners outside of the U.S., including Roadshow Films (in Australia and NZ), Metropolitan (France), Austria Constantin (Germany), Leone (Italy), Gaga (Japan), Sun (Latin America), Nordisk (Scandinavia), Tripictures (Spain), Studio Canal (UK), Searchers (Benelux), Front Row (Middle East) and Unicorn (Eastern Europe).

James McGough and Christina Tajalli negotiated the deal on behalf of Picturestart, while Alan Grodin of Weintraub Tobin negotiated the deal on behalf of Picture Perfect Federation. Andrew Kramer of Loeb & Loeb represents Little Ray Media.

Lee is best known for serving as a producer and writer of “Luce,” which is based on his play of the same name. His additional credits include “The Morning Show,” “How to Get Away with Murder” and “Looking.” He is represented by CAA, Chris Donnelly at LBI Entertainment and Erik Hyman at Paul Hastings.

Liang is represented by Authentic Talent and Literary Management, Payne Management in the UK and Goodman, Genow, Schenkman, Smelkinson & Christopher; Banks is represented by WME, Frontline Management, and Granderson Des Rochers; and Wong is represented by Hirsch Wallerstein Hayum Matlof and Fishman.

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Benedict Wong, Jabari Banks