Paramount+ today announced the acquisition of a new original film, Love in Taipei, based on the New York Times’ best-selling novel Loveboat, Taipei by Abigail Hing Wen which is set to premiere this summer on the streamig platform. In the novel, a young American woman is sent by her parents to a cultural immersion program in Taipei – inspired by an actual program attended by thousands of Chinese and Taiwanese diaspora youth – where she begins a new journey of self-discovery and romance.
The film will star Ashley Liao (Fresh Off The Boat, The Hunger Games: The Battle of Songbirds and Snakes) as Ever Wong, Ross Butler (Shazam! Fury of the Gods, To All The Boys franchise) as Rick Woo, Nico Hiraga (Booksmart, Moxie) as Xavier Yeh, Chelsea Zhang (Daybreak, Titans) as Ever’s friend Sophie, and Cindy Cheung (The Sinner, 13 Reasons Why) as Ever’s Aunt Shu.
Love in Taipei is directed by Arvin Chen (Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?) and produced by Matt Kaplan for Ace Entertainment. The film is shot on location in Taipei, and Abigail Hing Wen also serves as executive producer with the screenplay by Charlie Oh and Mackenzie Dohr. Christopher Foss, Matthew Janzen, Max Siemers, Aubrey Bendix, Cheng-Chung Chang and Ross Butler also serve as executive producers.
HarperCollins published the book series which continues the journey with Loveboat Reunion and the upcoming Loveboat Forever.