Bad Genius Remake: Benedict Wong Stars in This Gen Z Heist Thriller

Get ready for a wild ride with "Bad Genius," a heist thriller that's getting a fresh new look! This time it's a remake of a 2017 Thai film and is set to hit theaters on October 11th, 2024.

Reimagining Bad Genius

The movie's story is a thrilling tale about some Gen Z students taking on the system in a totally unique way!

What's awesome is that this new adaptation is led by director J.C. Lee, who's known for his work on How to Get Away With Murder. He worked alongside Julius Onah (director of Captain America: Brave New World) to really write this fresh take on a great film! The movie follows Lynn, a top student who finds a creative way to get the money to help pay for her college!

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The Cast

Best heist movies collage: Robert De Niro in Heat, Audrey Hepburn in How to Steal a Million and Barry Keoghan in American Animals. Image

You know that a great remake needs an impressive cast, right? And this film delivers some powerful actors to the big screen.

The standout, is the newcomer Callina Liang, taking on her very first lead role as Lynn, the main character. But even with this inexperienced star. The movie boasts an exciting cast featuring several high profile performers who may also impress fans even more as well! That is thanks to some incredible talents:

Benedict Wong, a star from 3 Body Problem who takes on her protective dad
Taylor Hickson as Grace and Samuel Braun as Sam (Lynn's friends who join her exciting schemes)
Jabari Banks, of Bel-Air fame and will bring Bank to life.

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Themes of Bad Genius

Benedict Wong hugging Callina Liang in Bad Genius Image

You might be thinking it is about a wild scheme! What's incredible is that these characters aren't just part of a big heist. Lee, in interviews, even discussed the themes which emphasize:

Academic Injustice
Class Warfare
A focus on what it means to be a first-generation American.

In a culture that has been particularly harsh towards immigrants, it makes for a super compelling theme to explore! The characters tackle big themes around trust, loyalty and risk, the things we know in the heist genre! This includes how their cultural differences really shape these stories.

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Interview with Wong and Lee

Callina Liang sitting at a desk with a book in Bad Genius Image

If you want the whole inside scoop on what the production is about. There's an interview with the creators to showcase their passion for this remake.

In an exclusive interview from Screen Rant you can see how the vision for this new film. Lee made a reference to movies such as The Social Network, Risky Business and even Ocean's 11 as influences. What he explains as part of that creative process is that his idea was to maintain everything special that came from the original Thai film. What would be the core focus. He and his crew had to focus on building out some elements for American viewers.

Wong made some remarkable comments too. In his perspective, he highlighted how the remake is all about the father-daughter dynamic as Lynn is trying to pursue big dreams! The film has special themes such as class division, and he wanted the storyline to emphasize these things.

What's remarkable? They talk about Liang. Who they praise so highly! As Liang took her very first lead role in the film. Both the director and Wong are so impressed! It showcases that amazing actors can emerge!

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Wong on Doctor Strange 3

Doctor Strange with a Third Eye and Wong in Front of a Marvel Comic Background Image

If you are a Marvel fan! You can get a chance to catch some extra scoop on Doctor Strange 3 in this Screen Rant exclusive.

Wong doesn't give much but is very happy that the future installments have his favorite character on the roster! With Doomsday looming there's a ton that he really thinks needs to be explored, but also says it is all in the hands of Marvel at the moment!

A New Project

The creator of Bad Genius has plenty of exciting moments coming up for audiences as well! With Sony he plans on bringing out a new film about Boy George!

You've had the thrill of heists, but you might enjoy some exciting music biopics.

For fans, what looks remarkable, is how Lee worked hard to collect the most detailed, incredible material he possibly could about George's life!

Bad Genius Final Thoughts

Bad Genius looks to be a fun heist thriller and a celebration of a new generation!

With great cast, unique and timely themes and an approach that manages to hit all the marks of a truly special, impressive movie, Bad Genius looks to become a huge hit on October 11th, 2024. It's also a great recommendation for anyone interested in thrillers that have compelling characters, action-packed adventures, and plenty of plot twists to enjoy.