Michelle Yeoh to produce ‘Billion Dollar Whale’ movie about Jho Low and the 1MDB scandal

Crazy Rich Asians star Michelle Yeoh has signed on to produce the coming film adaptation of the best-selling book Billion Dollar Whale: The Man Who Fooled Wall Street, Hollywood, and the World, a fascinating book about the alleged inner wheelings and dealings of Malaysian fugitive businessman Jho Low and the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal.

The book, written by The Wall Street Journal writers Tom Wright and Bradley Hope, and debuted on The New York Times Best Sellers list, was acquired by SK Global’s Ivanhoe Pictures, which was behind the wildly successful film adaptation of the Kevin Kwan book Crazy Rich Asians.
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Yeoh, who can soon be seen in Master Z: The Ip Man Legacy, signed a first-look pact with SK Global last month that includes producing, directing and select acting opportunities for her. There is no news yet on whether she will also make an acting appearance in the movie.

“Tom and Bradley have crafted a thoroughly compelling telling of this unbelievable story. While certainly a daring work of investigative journalism, the narrative thread and eclectic characters that they so diligently chronicle make the book read like a thrilling and engrossing novel. The result far surpasses the story we thought we already knew. We are very proud to be associated with this project and anticipate moving forward very quickly to production,” said SK Global president John Penotti.

“We’re thrilled to be partnering with SK Global to bring the incredible story of Jho Low, a modern-day Gatsby, to the screen,” said Tom Wright, co-author of Billion Dollar Whale.

https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people-events/article/2166122/michelle-yeoh-produce-billion-dollar-whale-movie-about