Stars Collective Remakes Sundance Hit ‘Thelma’ as Mandarin Film

Stars Collective has secured the Mandarin‑language remake rights to the 2024 Sundance breakout “Thelma,” and the company is developing an adaptation titled “Grandma, Please.” The new version will follow an 80‑year‑old grandmother who is swindled out of her life savings by a scammer who uses AI to clone her late husband’s voice. The deal was announced at a press briefing in Los Angeles on Tuesday, with the studio saying it plans to start pre‑production later this year.

“Thelma” premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January and quickly became Magnolia Pictures’ highest‑grossing narrative feature, pulling in more than $12 million in a limited U.S. run. The film’s success is part of a growing trend of indie dramas that find wider audiences through streaming and limited theatrical releases. For Stars Collective, a Shanghai‑based studio known for producing high‑quality Chinese dramas and films, the acquisition signals a strategic push into the Mandarin‑speaking market. The remake also taps into a rising concern in China and beyond over AI‑powered scams, making the story timely for domestic audiences who are increasingly wary of deep‑fake fraud.

The plot of “Grandma, Please” centers on Lian, an elderly woman who has saved her life’s earnings for her late husband’s funeral. A slick tech entrepreneur contacts her, claiming to help her manage her finances, but he secretly uses an AI model trained on her husband’s voice to convince her to transfer money to a fake account. The narrative explores generational gaps in technology, the vulnerability of seniors, and the moral ambiguity of AI. Early reports suggest the studio is looking at veteran actress Wang Luodan for the lead role and is in talks with a Chinese tech company to consult on realistic AI portrayal. Production is expected to begin in Shanghai in early 2025, with a planned release in China in late 2026.

The remake’s development comes at a time when the Chinese film industry is aggressively courting international stories that can be localized for domestic audiences. By bringing an American indie hit into Mandarin, Stars Collective hopes to bridge cultural gaps and showcase the versatility of AI storytelling. If “Grandma, Please” follows the original’s commercial trajectory, it could become a benchmark for future cross‑border adaptations and a cautionary tale about the unchecked power of AI in everyday life.