Lord of The Tuk-Tuk?

[Mentors]

 

Rings? producer to make tuk-tuk movie

Published on April 21, 2005

 

The producer of the ?Lord of the Rings? movie trilogy plans to shoot a Bt400-million drama about a Bangkok tuk-tuk driver who falls for his foreign fare.

 

Barrie M Osborne told Tourism Minister Somsak Thepsuthin yesterday that he would invest the money through Mullis Capital (Thailand) Co, a Bangkok-based film production house.

 

Osborne, also executive producer of ?The Matrix?, said the picture would depict local lifestyles as well as showcase the exotic scenery of Phuket, Bangkok and surrounding areas.

 

The Hollywood project, titled ?Round Five?, would inject foreign exchange into a tourism industry hard hit by the December tsunamis and chronic southern violence.

 

Shooting on the movie would start in October and last six weeks. The film?s North American premiere is scheduled for next summer.

 

?The film will tell the story of a Buddhist Thai guy who has completed the monkhood and is now a tuk-tuk driver in the capital. Then he falls in love with a young beautiful tourist. But the two of them are from different backgrounds. The story will showcase Thai ways of life in various aspects including boxing, religion, fighting and narcotics issues,? Osborne said.

 

He refused to identity the leading actor or actress but said the hero would be Thai and the heroine a foreigner. Most of the cast would be hired here. The Internet Movie Database lists the film?s director as Wych Kaosayananda, a local filmmaker whose credits include the action-packed Thai movie ?Fah?.

 

?Round Five? will be Mullis Capital?s second film after the Australian ?Little Fish?. The company expects the new feature to attract a wide overseas audience with its focus on Thailand.

 

Mullis Capital (Thailand) was set up in 1998 by businessmen from the United States, England, Australia, New Zealand and Thailand. It is now doing post-production on a few films.

 

The company is putting US$600 million (Bt23.6 billion) into a fund for film production with $15 million earmarked for ?Round Five?.

 

Somsak said the government would assist the crew to publicise the film in Thailand and would support it with tax benefits and promotional activities.

 

He suggested that local filmmakers should make projects about the tsunami disaster in order to promote Andaman coastal areas and rebuild tourism there.

 

Last year, Bt1.2 billion was spent during the production of 441 feature films, documentaries, commercials, television series and music videos. However, this year revenues are expected to drop to Bt333 million from 117 projects.

 

Hollywood movies that were shot here include ?The Beach?, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Oliver Stone?s ?Alexander? and the Jackie Chan remake ?Around the World in 80 Days?.

 

The Nation

 

 

Same time as the movie shooting i will stay in LOS...hmh...extra actor?

[samak]

so what role will you play?

that of tuk tuk driver Somsak, who is promoted to Tourism Minister Somsak (TRT means Thai rak tuk tuk!) or that of the beautiful tourist who turns out is a Farang Katoey?

[Mentors]

this is a good question, let see, maybe the Mamasan of Tuk Tuk? ::