The Hollywood Reporter brings word that Golden Globe winner Awkwafina (The Farewell, Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens, Crazy Rich Asians) will star in SK Global’s The Baccarat Machine, centering on the most successful female gambler in modern history, Cheung Yin “Kelly” Sun. The feature is inspired by Michael Kaplan’s article “The Baccarat Machine” that was published in Cigar Aficionado.
RELATED: Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens Gets Early Season 2 Renewal at Comedy Central
The Baccarat Machine tells the true story of Sun, a young Chinese woman who turns a painstakingly developed talent and obsession for payback into beating the system at their own game. With major casinos conspiring to bar her from their properties, Sun partners with the international “King of Poker” Phil Ivey in order to take down the system through subterfuge, ingenuity, and pure daring, resulting in one of the most ingenious legal gambling runs ever documented.
Producers are currently in talks with potential directors.
RELATED: The Expatriates: Lulu Wang Sets Nicole Kidman Drama for Amazon
The Baccarat Machine will be produced and financed by SK Global. Jeffrey Sharp of Sharp Independent Pictures will also produce the project.
(Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for SBIFF)
