Malaysian actress Michelle Yeoh is producing a film adaptation of the New York Times-bestselling book “Billion Dollar Whale: The Man Who Fooled Wall Street, Hollywood, and the World.”
The “Crazy Rich Asians” star posted a selfie with the book on her Instagram on Sep. 20:
“Billion Dollar Whale,” written by Pulitzer Prize finalists and Wall Street Journal reporters Tom Wright and Bradley Hope, follows the true story of Malaysian businessman Jho Low, the alleged mastermind behind the 1Malaysia Development Berhad scandal.
The scandal involved accusations toward former Prime Minister Najib Razak for laundering funds from 1MDB, a strategic development company. Investigators are attempting to crack how the company’s funds landed in personal accounts of corrupt officials. The theft is estimated at $5 billion, one of the biggest fraud cases in history. Authorities in Malaysia, Singapore, Luxembourg, Switzerland and the U.S. Department of Justice are currently investigating the case; there are probes related to the scandal in at least 10 countries, according to Bloomberg.
Low is now an international fugitive whose whereabouts are unknown. Wright referred to the businessman as a “modern-day Gatsby,” whose parties were attended by celebrities including Leonardo DiCaprio and Miranda Kerr.
The author tweeted his excitement regarding the news:
Very excited to announce: SK Global company, coming off of the massive global hit Crazy Rich Asians, has acquired film rights to New York Times bestseller Billion Dollar Whale: The Man Who Fooled Wall Street, Hollywood, and the World. pic.twitter.com/awUM0TyudF
— Tom Wright (@TomWrightAsia) September 27, 2018
Yeoh’s involvement comes after she signed a deal with SK Global Entertainment for her production company Mythical Films in August. The deal includes acting, directing and producing opportunities with SK Global’s international label Ivanhoe Pictures and its American label Sidney Kimmel Entertainment. Ivanhoe Pictures co-produced “Crazy Rich Asians.”
The actress last served as executive producer for the South Korean-Thai film “Final Recipe” in 2013, in which she also starred. Her next acting project, “Master Z: Ip Man Legacy,” is set to release this year.
