Ah Boys actors Tosh Zhang, Maxi Lim and Noah Yap mentor new generation in Jack Neo’s latest film

SINGAPORE – More than 1,000 hopefuls answered local director Jack Neo’s call for a chance to become the next generation of Ah Boys – and the response took on a life of its own online.

According to the 66-year-old film-maker, this round of auditions, which started in June, was “a bit different” as hopefuls uploaded their audition clips to social media, with some turning them into viral videos.

“It’s also another promotion for us,” he said. “A lot of people use their audition video as their viral video. Quite interesting.”

Neo was speaking to The Straits Times during a media set visit for his latest movie Ah Boys To Firefighters at Punggol Fire Station on Aug 31, which was also Day 10 of a month-long shoot.

There, he unveiled his new leading men, along with three familiar faces – his Ah Boys To Men franchise (2012 to 2017) alumni Tosh Zhang, Maxi Lim and Noah Yap.

Ah Boys To Firefighters is not a sequel, and the trio are playing new characters.

Neo added that the applicants were whittled down based on their performances and how closely their looks matched characters that had already been written. Some hopefuls were called back for second or even third auditions.

The eventual new ensemble includes Singaporeans Luqmaan Hakiim, 23; Raynold Tan, 28; and Kiki Darling, 24; and Malaysian actor and content creator Chai Chang Yong, 30.

Neo had different reasons for choosing each newcomer.

While Luqmaan and Darling are new to show business, Neo said they embody the youthful vibes needed for their characters.

Tan, who has been an actor for four years and starred in Filipino boys’ love series The Day I Loved You (2023), impressed Neo with his acting abilities. “Raynold received the most votes when we were finalising the cast,” Neo added.

Chai comes with an additional asset – his popularity across the Causeway.

“He is very famous in Malaysia, and for the Malaysia market, I think we need someone like him,” Neo said, pointing to Chai’s large fan base and social media reach.

Calling Chai the movie’s “secret weapon” with over two million followers on Instagram and YouTube, Neo joked that once news of Chai’s involvement gets out, “the whole of Malaysia will know that you are in our movie”.

Added Neo, laughing: “Hopefully, he can help us with box-office numbers.”

Ah Boys To Firefighters is slated for a 2027 Chinese New Year release, and it follows four young national servicemen posted to the same fire station, each approaching national service with a very different attitude.

At the centre is Ayden Cheong (Tan), who secretly joins the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) despite his mother’s concern. As he and his teammates respond to increasingly dangerous emergencies, they grapple with fear, trauma and guilt, as well as the consequences of being responsible for other people’s lives.

A harrowing call leaves Ayden questioning whether he is suited to the job, while the demands of service begin affecting his relationship with his wealthy girlfriend.

Under the hard-driving guidance of Sergeant “Encik” Daniel Ong (Zhang), the four recruits gradually grow into a tight-knit team.

A major fire eventually forces Ayden to confront his father’s own history and understand what drives firefighters to run towards danger when everyone else is fleeing it.

Different batch of Ah Boys

The new ensemble is also part of Neo’s attempt to reflect the SCDF environment more closely.

He said the racial mix of Malay, Indian and Chinese actors was informed by what he observed among firefighters and that he wanted the film to reflect that reality.

The language has shifted accordingly. The movie will be predominantly in English, although Mandarin will also be heard among the characters.

Women are represented among the firefighters too – one reason the film’s title was changed from the previously announced Ah Boys To Firemen. Neo said that “firefighter” is also the terminology used by those in the profession.

It is that lesser-seen side of national service that drew Neo to the subject.

He said many Singaporeans may know less about what SCDF servicemen go through than their counterparts in the military, even though firefighters can find themselves on the front line soon after completing months of professional training. “When everybody runs away from the fire, (firefighters) go into the fire.”

From alumni to mentors

Helping Neo bridge the old and new generations are the original Ah Boys: Zhang, 37; Lim, 39; and Yap, 32.

Fourteen years after Ah Boys To Men (2012) introduced the trio to movie audiences, they return to a Jack Neo set in decidedly more senior positions.

“Finally, not Ah Boy,” Yap joked of their new roles. “Really, we are now sergeants.”

For them, getting together again feels instinctive.

“It’s always a joy to work together again,” Yap said, describing the experience “like sons coming back to the father” – before Lim mischievously added: “The stepdad.”

Their status on set has changed too.

With more than half of the group comprising newcomers, the “seniors” say the younger actors can observe how they interact with Neo, deal with repeated takes and carry themselves through a long shooting day.

Tan said he regularly seeks advice on how to improve a scene, adding that Zhang – with whom he shares many scenes – has been generous in sharing his experience and “tips and tricks” of the industry.

The role reversal is not lost on the original cast. Some of the rookies are making their first feature film, but the OG actors praise their willingness to learn and professionalism despite the physically and mentally demanding shoot.

“They remind us of us when we started acting,” Zhang said.

Neo noticed the difference too.

With his “old boys”, there is already an established shorthand. They understand one another and know how to work within his film-making process.

The latest joiners require more guidance – from understanding their characters to remembering that they cannot simply “switch off” in an ensemble scene when someone else is delivering the dialogue.

“We need to build the relationship,” Neo said.

That made filming slower at the start. “I think the engine is only just warming up.”

But the newcomers are improving “day by day” and his job is gradually getting easier.

Wearing new uniforms

There was also something satisfying about swopping their military fatigues for SCDF uniforms – and, this time, higher ranks.

Zhang joked that they look good in the full firefighting gear, before conceding that the heavy bunker gear quickly became hot and uncomfortable.

More seriously, wearing the uniform came with some pressure, he added, because the actors were portraying firefighters who risk their lives in the course of their work. “We want to make sure that the way we play them really respects what they do,” said Zhang.

The cast underwent three days of training at the Civil Defence Academy, learning skills including casualty evacuation, handling and packing hoses, and operating in full bunker gear.

A mock firefighting exercise inside the training ground proved particularly sobering. During the exercise, they found that visibility and hearing were severely restricted, while the heat and weight of the equipment – the breathing apparatus plus bunker gear add about 15kg to 20kg on the firefighter’s back – made every movement harder.

Cast members were also taught how quickly firefighters must put on their bunker gear when responding to an emergency.

The original Ah Boys admit they never expected to return to the franchise after almost a decade away – since Ah Boys To Men 4 (2017) – and know the success of the previous movies brings expectations.

There is “a certain weight on our shoulders and Jack’s shoulders”, Zhang admitted, given how well the previous instalments performed.

Ah Boys To Men 2 (2013), with its box-office takings of $7.9 million, still holds the title of the top-grossing Asian movie in Singapore. Ah Boys To Men 3: Frogmen (2015) is No. 3 with $7.62 million earnings. The original Ah Boys To Men made $6.2 million, claiming the sixth spot, while Ah Boys To Men 4, with $5 million, rounds up the list in 10th place.

The trio have high hopes for Ah Boys To Firefighters, as an entire generation of potential moviegoers was either very young or not yet born when Ah Boys To Men was screened.

This time, they aim to introduce both the franchise and its new actors to younger viewers. But despite being the veterans this time round, their approach has not changed much.

“We don’t think about the box office,” Zhang said. “We just focus on what we need to do and we let the audience decide.”