‘The Farewell’s Lulu Wang Sets Next Movie, ‘Children Of The New World’

The Farewell writer-director Lulu Wang has set up her next project, a science-fiction movie titled Children of the New World. It will mark a reteam with her Farewell producer Big Beach after that film’s success premiering in competition at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, where it landed a splashy distribution deal with A24 and is hitting theaters Friday.

Votiv is also aboard Children of the New World.

Plot details for the new project are under wraps, but Wang is adapting from Alexander Weinstein’s short story collection of the same name. Wang did say that the new pic will “continue exploring the evolving dynamics of family.” (The Farewell, which is subtitled, centers on a Chinese family who discovers their beloved grandmother has a short time to live. They don’t tell her, but instead stage a wedding so the family can gather before she expires.)

Dani Melia and Peter Saraf are producing Children of the New World for Big Beach, with Justin Lothrop for Votiv. Brent Stiefel will executive produce for Votiv.

“We had an incredible experience collaborating with Lulu Wang on The Farewell and are thrilled to be making another film with this visionary director, this time working alongside Votiv and exploring a completely different space and genre,” Melia said Monday in a release announcing the project.

Added Lothrop: “Lulu and I have been friends for years now and we’re very excited to be collaborating with her on such an incredible project. When we started on this journey with her, I don’t think we could have imagined a better partner than Big Beach, and we couldn’t be more pleased about working with them on this.”

The news comes as Big Beach readies TriStar’s Mister Rogers pic It’s a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood starring Tom Hanks. The company is also behind Starz’s Vida and Facebook Watch’s Sorry For Your Loss.

Votiv is a a development finance and production company whose credits include Free In Deed, As You Are and Obvious Child.

Wang is repped by UTA and Circle of Confusion.