FILM NEWS: I’LL BE THE ONE BY Lyla Lee

I’ll Be the One by Lyla Lee is going to be a movie!!!

HBO Max, the upcoming direct-to-consumer offering from WarnerMedia, has triumphed in a five-studio bidding war for the feature film adaptation of Lyla Lee’s highly anticipated upcoming young adult novel, I’ll Be The One from Anonymous Content. Nahnatchka Khan, creator of the hit ABC sitcom Fresh Off the Boat and director of the Netflix feature film Always Be My Maybe, is attached to produce the project with an eye to direct. Anonymous Content Partner, Joy Gorman Wettels will also produce the film with a screenplay from Emmy®, WGA, and PGA nominated, Korean-American writer Colleen McGuinness (Stargirl, 30 Rock). Anonymous Content’s VP of Literary Affairs, Kevin Cotter, and Allison Warren, VP of Development, Film & TV at Aevitas Creative brought the project to Anonymous Content under Aevitas’s first look deal with the media company. Todd Shuster and Penny Moore of Aevitas Creative will also serve as producer and executive producer respectively. I’ll Be the One will be published by Katherine Tegen Books (HarperCollins) in North America in Summer 2020

The film spotlights 16-year-old Skye Shin—a plus-sized, bi-sexual, Korean-American girl— as she pursues her dreams as a participant on reality TV singing and dancing competition “K-Pop Shining Star.” With the help of her new friends and her crush, world famous model Henry Cho, Skye faces the industry’s old-fashioned beauty standards head on, setting her sights on becoming a K-pop star – one the world has never seen before.

“K-pop has truly become a global phenomenon and Lyla Lee’s beautiful tale of a Korean-American teen breaking down barriers and going the distance to accomplish her dreams is inspiring to say the least,” said a HBO Max executive. “This film adaptation of I’ll Be the One will complement our already robust slate of diverse films and series and the creative team bringing this story to HBO Max are seasoned storytellers in the YA space.”