Phoenix Waters Productions and TE Creatives have announced 'K-Pop Out of Time,' a cross-border musical feature uniting the U.K., Hong Kong, and Korea. The film follows a K-pop idol accused of plagiarism who travels back to 1980s Hong Kong and falls in love with the song's original songwriter. Filming is scheduled to begin later this year.
Phoenix Waters Productions, alongside TE Creatives, unveiled “K-Pop Out of Time” at the Hong Kong FilMart. The project originated from a concept by Bizhan Tong and Everett Jenkins, with Tong writing and directing. Tong previously directed “Tape,” which screened at the Raindance and Vancouver Intl. Film Festivals and was selected for the Miami Film Festival. Producers include Tong, Charlie Wong of “Warriors of Future” and “Zero to Hero,” and Jenkins. Executive producers are Wonil Cha of Global Content Media Group GPVC and Rancho Lee of Simsan Ventures. Composer Christopher Lai, known for “Back to the Past” and “The Dumpling Queen,” will score the film. Costume and makeup designer Karen Yip, with credits including “Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In,” “Anita,” “Cold War,” and “Night King,” is attached. Casting is underway for the male K-pop lead and Hong Kong female lead, with open auditions planned in Hong Kong and Korea. Producers aim to extend the film into live concert events and a broader franchise. This fits Phoenix Waters’ strategy, including a recent MOU with Korean studio MOFAC, producers of “The King of Kings.” Tong stated, “K-pop is the most globally dominant music force of this generation, while Cantopop defined an era of Hong Kong’s cultural identity.” Jenkins described it as embodying “glocal” storytelling, noting Cantopop’s cross-cultural origins. Wong highlighted the shift from Cantopop’s Asian dominance to K-pop’s global reach.
