5 Southeast Asian writers we'd like to see movies about
“Genius” is a movie about Thomas Wolfe and his editor Maxwell Perkins. Although other writers like Hugh Hefner are arguably more famous than him, he’s still a literary giant for those of us who still peruse the occasional novel. But what about Southeast Asian authors?
It’s a struggle to even get works by Southeast Asian authors turned into movies, so we might still need to wait a while before getting a movie like “Genius” about SEA creatives. But we’ve got “Wonder Boy” (the movie about Dick Lee) coming up, so it’s a start! Besides Dick Lee, here are five other writers from Southeast Asia that we’d like to see movies about. Hopefully we’ll see all of them get a movie before the decade is out!
Ho Widing (left) & Michael Chiang (right). (Michael Chiang’s Facebook Page)
1. Michael Chiang (Malaysia/Singapore)
Hailing from both Malaysia (birth) and Singapore (life), Michael Chiang is a truly Southeast Asian author, with roots in two SEA countries. He wrote the quintessential NS play (honestly, did you ever think you hear the word “NS” and “play” in the same sentence?) “Army Daze”, which went from stage to screen in less than nine years. Chiang even graduated with triple majors (English Literature, Chinese Studies, and Philosophy) before it was mainstream do double majors in university! It’ll be interesting to see how he made the transition from Malaysia to Singapore.
Alfian Sa’at. (Alfian Sa’at’s Facebook Profile)
2. Alfian Sa'at (Singapore)
Unlike other self-proclaimed enfant terribles of Singapore (who are really just whiny buggers trying to gain attention), Alfian Sa'at is actually referred to by other people as the enfant terrible of Singapore, legitimising his enfant terrible-ness. But it’s not just about rebelling against the mainstream — the man generates works faster than you can read them. He’s both prolific and poetic, qualities that few other writers possess in tandem. His story, especially as a minority in Singapore, would be a poignant and eye-opening one.
Tey Feng Nian. (Steven Steel’s Facebook Page)
3. Steven Steel aka Tay Feng Nian (Malaysia)
This 19-year-old already has a science fiction novel to his name, "Someone’s In My Head”. Most science fiction writers graduate, find a good job, then write a book — but he did it all before even graduating! Although he might write under a slightly cheesy pseudonym (the equivalent of an embarrassing childhood email), who hasn’t taken on a nickname that they later regretted in adulthood? He’s a writer to watch out for, and a movie about him would be inspiring to all children who wish to be writers.
Mars Ravelo. (Philippine Comics)
4. Mars Ravelo (Philippines)
If you’ve seen a disproportionate number of Wonder Woman TV shows, movies, and comics in Philippines, you’re not seeing things. They’re actually about a character called Darna, Philippines’ version of Wonder Woman, who gains superpowers whenever she swallows a magic rock. And her creator is none other than Mars Ravelo. Darna has spawned 3 TV series, 14 movies, and countless comics. Seeing how Mars Ravelo created Darna and her colourful supporting cast would be a fascinating tale.
Tan Tarn How. (Tan Tarn How’s Facebook Profile)
5. Tan Tarn How (Singapore)
If you’ve watched (and loved) "VR Man”, then you should go Like the VR Man Facebook Page now. A little reading up will reveal that the creator of the series was none other than Tan Tarn How, who’s an accomplished playwright. But we know that under that super serious veneer lies the heart of a true comic book fan, for why else would he have penned a 13-episode series involving villains like the Click Click Man? A film about the VR Man creation process would be awesome to watch, as well as seeing James Lye don that black suit once again.
So which other writers do you think we should see films about? Hit us up with your favourite authors!
Marcus Goh is a Singapore television scriptwriter. He’s also a Transformers enthusiast and avid pop culture scholar. He Tweets/Instagrams at Optimarcus and writes at marcusgohmarcusgoh.com. The views expressed are his own.
