Lucy Liu to star in anti-gun drama Rosemead

Lucy Liu's new feature drama, Rosemead, will take a hard look at America's gun violence.

Based on a Los Angeles Times article titled A Dying Mother’s Plan, Rosemead follows the desperate attempts of a terminally ill immigrant woman from San Gabriel Valley to dissuade her son away from his obsession with mass shootings.

Speaking to Deadline, Liu commented that the film's heartbreaking true story: "shines a light on how important it is to understand all aspects of mental illness, especially in Asian societies."

Written in 2017 by journalist Frank Shyong, the award-winning article caught the attention of Marilyn Fu, who adapted it into the screenplay. Eric Lin will helm the production, marking his directorial debut.

Liu expounded: "I’m excited to be working with Eric and Marilyn Fu to tell a story within our shared culture, and to bring attention to the terrible stigma attached to this disease that can cause individuals and families to become ostracised in their own communities, or in this case, lose their lives."

Fu, whose previous writing credits include The Honor List and The Sisterhood of Night, added that one of her driving forces as a screenwriter was to create "important roles for Asian women".

She told Deadline: "Not only do we need to see people on screen who look like us, but who feel joy, who struggle, and who confront obstacles, like us," and commended Liu as a "pioneer in showing the power in representation."

Shyong is attached to co-produce the film, along with Andrew D. Corkin and Theo James under their Untapped banner, and Mynette Louie from The Population.

“We were all haunted by Frank’s article; we could not shake it,” said the trio in a joint statement.