Lucy Liu has joined the team behind Reset, a sci-fi dramedy short film that is now being developed into a feature, signing on as executive producer for both versions of the project.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Liu boarded the project following its world premiere at the Fantasia International Film Festival, where the short won the Silver Audience Award for best international short film. The film comes from writer-directors Celine Tien and Jerry Hsu and is produced by SPL Max.
The short stars Olivia Liang, known for The CW's Kung Fu, and Sam Song Li from Netflix's The Brothers Sun. The story is set in a near future where citizens are physically reset to six years old at the age of 65. Reset follows a young woman who must care for her newly reset mother and find her estranged father before the state intervenes, only to discover that healing her family means reparenting the child her mother never had the chance to be. The filmmakers described the project as being inspired by their own families and their experiences with inherited trauma, exploring intergenerational cycles through the lenses of karma and the psychology of empathy.
"Supporting Reset has been a true joy," Liu said. "Seeing such gifted filmmakers bring their vision to life is a powerful reminder that storytelling remains our most enduring form of art."
Tien and Hsu offered their own statement on the project's themes: "Inspired by our families' lived experiences, Reset became a way to examine the inheritance of trauma and empathy across generations. We wanted to ask the question: Do we ever really grow up?"
Julien Soros produced the short, with cinematography by Charles Xiuzhi Dong. Additional executive producers include Branton Choi, formerly of the Russo brothers' AGBO, Eva Li Hsieh, Care.com founder Sheila Marcelo, Trip.com founder James Liang, and Adam Marcelo.
The feature adaptation is currently in active development, according to the creative team.
