SINGAPORE — Will homegrown award-winning director Anthony Chen’s next movie star a Heavenly King?

That could very well be a reality if Andy Lau had his way. The 52-year-old Hong Kong megastar revealed that he chatted with Chen at the Golden Horse Awards ceremony, where the Singaporean took home four major awards, including Best Feature Film.

“Yes I do want to collaborate with him, in one way or another,” Lau told TODAY on Wednesday at Marina Bay Sands, where he was promoting his new movie Firestorm.

“Even before Golden Horse Awards, I had already heard about Anthony and his film Ilo Ilo. Everyone around me was buzzing about how it was a small but moving independent film.

“The subject matter hits very close to home for Singaporean audiences, but I felt that it will also resonate strongly with Hong Kong audiences too,” he revealed. “We’re similar! Hong Kongers also have domestic helpers and form close relationships with them… so I really wanted to be the one to distribute the film in Hong Kong. I really think it would work. But in the end, I found out he sold it to someone else. Pity! But there will be other projects...”

Chen himself still cannot get over this “entirely surreal” experience. “It was literally just after the awards ceremony and Mr Lau told me that it would be great if we could work together in the future,” he shared. “‘Don’t forget me’, he said. ‘Remember me!’ I cannot believe Andy Lau said that to me!”

So can audiences expect to see this A-team collaboration very soon?

“If we find a suitable project and a suitable film, why not?” said Chen. “I used to watch him in movies all the time growing up, so this is amazing! Actually I’m quite curious of his impression of Ilo Ilo. Hopefully, he’ll get a chance to see it in Hong Kong soon. I would love to know what he thinks.”

Meanwhile, TODAY understands that Singaporean film distributor and producer Clover Films are currently in discussions with the superstar veteran to help make his very open desire to work in Singapore films a reality.

“Andy is very serious about investing in Singapore films. We will try our best to make this happen!” said managing director Lim Teck.

Clover Films is co-distributor of Lau’s latest blockbuster Firestorm, which opens in cinemas Dec 12.