Stars Collective, a Los Angeles-based international production company, has secured the rights to adapt “Thelma,” a 2024 Sundance Film Festival selection that became Magnolia Pictures’ highest-grossing narrative feature, into a Mandarin-language film. The remake, titled “Grandma, Please,” will follow a different but thematically similar storyline centered on an elderly grandmother who becomes a victim of financial fraud.
In the adapted version, the protagonist is an 80-year-old woman who loses her life savings to a scammer employing artificial intelligence to replicate the voice of her deceased husband. Rather than seeking assistance from authorities or burdening her family with knowledge of the crime, she pursues the perpetrator independently. This investigation leads to a reunion with a former romantic interest from six decades prior, a former basketball player currently residing in a care facility. The pair embarks on a road journey that combines comedic elements with more substantial dramatic moments.
Peter Luo, a screenwriter and producer with credits including “Malignant,” “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark,” and “Crazy Rich Asians,” is writing the screenplay and producing the project alongside Nancy Xu, co-CEO of Stars Collective, and Wayne Wei Jiang, a producer on “The Meg.” Luo and Xu recently executive produced “The Rip,” a film starring Matt Damon and Ben Affleck that reached the top position on Netflix’s global charts.
The original “Thelma,” written and directed by Josh Margolin, featured June Squibb in the lead role at age 93, alongside Parker Posey and Fred Hechinger. Production on “Grandma, Please” is anticipated to commence in the second half of 2027. Industry observers have noted the commercial success of senior-focused narratives such as “Thelma” and “How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies” in recent years, suggesting potential market appeal for the Mandarin remake.
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