Editing Better Luck Tomorrow (section)

== Production ==
[[Justin Lin]] said that the title ''Better Luck Tomorrow'' refers to how the film explores "the whole youth culture of today, specifically Asian-American, but also just the general mentality of teenagers today. I mean, I work with teenagers, I grew up in the 80s, and already it's very different, the mentality. You go to suburbia, you look at upper-middle-class-kids, and through the media they've literally adopted an urban-gangsta-mentality."<ref name="Aderer">{{cite web |last=Aderer |first=Konrad |date=May 20, 2011 |title=Justin Lin: Getting Better All The Time |url=http://www.asianamericanfilm.com/archives/000029.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923175236/http://www.asianamericanfilm.com/archives/000029.html |archive-date=2015-09-23 |access-date=December 26, 2021 |website=Asian American Film}}</ref>

While writing the script, he found inspiration in his work as a youth basketball coach and teaching high school students how to make community documentaries.<ref name="EO">{{Cite web |last=Friend |first=David |date=2003-04-25 |title=Lucky Today, Better Luck Tomorrow: Justin Lin talks about Better Luck Tomorrow |url=http://www.jupiter2.com/eo/eo_exclusive/interviews/justin_lin.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041217065102/http://www.jupiter2.com/eo/eo_exclusive/interviews/justin_lin.html |archive-date=2004-12-17 |access-date=December 26, 2021 |work=Entertainment Online}}</ref>

Originally the film was going to be shot in digital-video, but within two weeks, after [[Fujifilm]] and later [[Kodak]] proposed deals with the director, the filming switched to [[35 mm movie film|35&nbsp;mm]].<ref name="Aderer" />

Sung Kang had originally wanted to play Ben Manibag.<ref name="Yamato">{{Cite podcast |url=https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sung-kang/id1501446978?i=1000475060127 |title=Sung Kang |website=Asian Enough |publisher=[[Los Angeles Times]] |last=Yamato |first=Jen |date=May 19, 2020 |access-date=May 19, 2020 |last2=Shyong |first2=Frank}}</ref>

Lin's original investors wanted a white cast with [[Macaulay Culkin]] as the male lead if he wanted a million dollar investment for his movie.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Wong |first=Alex |date=2018-08-16 |title=How Dare You Represent Your People That Way: The Oral History of 'Better Luck Tomorrow' |url=https://www.gq.com/story/better-luck-tomorrow-oral-history |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180823040357/https://www.gq.com/story/better-luck-tomorrow-oral-history |archive-date=2018-08-23 |access-date=2023-04-10 |website=[[GQ]] |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Ryzik |first=Melena |date=2016-02-24 |title=What It's Really Like to Work in Hollywood (*If you're not a straight white man.) |language=en-US |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/02/24/arts/hollywood-diversity-inclusion.html |url-status=live |access-date=2022-06-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220521080627/https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/02/24/arts/hollywood-diversity-inclusion.html |archive-date=2022-05-21 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Lin objected and continued to fund the project with his 10 credit cards and life savings.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Fleming |first=Mike Jr. |date=2015-06-03 |title=Justin Lin Talks Wet Cement at Chinese Theater, 'Star Trek 3,' 'True Detective' And His Foray Into Chinese Film |url=https://deadline.com/2015/06/justin-lin-star-trek-3-true-detective-hollywood-adventures-tcl-chinese-theater-1201437272/ |access-date=2023-04-10 |website=[[Deadline (website)|Deadline]] |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=EO/> He said knowing the film "potentially could've been the last film I ever made" he wanted to make it "about issues that were very important to me."<ref name=EO/>

After those funds were depleted, finishing funds equivalent to one third of the film's budget were provided by Cherry Sky Films for post-production, preparing the film to submit to Sundance, after producer Joan Huang reconnected with Lin at the LA Asian Pacific American Film Festival. Lin also brought in an additional $10,000 from artist [[MC Hammer]], whom he had met while working at the [[Japanese American National Museum]].<ref name="Yamato" /><ref name=":0" />