--- title: 'Jack Neo’s Ah Boys Return as the Mentors in Firefighter Gear' type: 'blog post' section: 'Away From Set' format: 'Editorial feature' standfirst: 'Jack Neo has brought Tosh Zhang, Maxi Lim and Noah Yap back into the Ah Boys orbit, but not as a sequel replay. At a Punggol Fire Station set visit on Aug. 31, the trio appeared as senior hands guiding a younger cast in Ah Boys To Firefighters, a 2027 Chinese New Year release that folds SCDF life, box-office pressure and a new generation of actors into one film.' author: 'Marcus Reid' published: '2026-09-01' updated: '2026-09-01' about_people: - 'Tosh Zhang' - 'Maxi Lim' - 'Jack Neo' tags: - 'Jack Neo Ah Boys To Firefighters cast reveal' - 'Tosh Zhang Maxi Lim Noah Yap mentor new cast' - 'Ah Boys To Firefighters SCDF story and cast' - 'Jack Neo new film Chinese New Year 2027' - 'Punggol Fire Station set visit Ah Boys To Firefighters' sources: - 'https://www.straitstimes.com/life/entertainment/ah-boys-actors-tosh-zhang-maxi-lim-and-noah-yap-mentor-new-generation-in-jack-neos-latest-film' - 'https://www.asiaone.com/entertainment/ah-boys-to-firefighters-jack-neo-tosh-zhang-noah-yap-maxi-lim-zhin-sadali' canonical: 'https://cinepixo.com/blog/jack-neos-ah-boys-return-as-the-mentors-in-firefighter-gear' publisher: 'CinePixo' --- # Jack Neo’s Ah Boys Return as the Mentors in Firefighter Gear *Jack Neo has brought Tosh Zhang, Maxi Lim and Noah Yap back into the Ah Boys orbit, but not as a sequel replay. At a Punggol Fire Station set visit on Aug. 31, the trio appeared as senior hands guiding a younger cast in Ah Boys To Firefighters, a 2027 Chinese New Year release that folds SCDF life, box-office pressure and a new generation of actors into one film.* By Marcus Reid, 2026-09-01 · Away From Set Jack Neo turned a Punggol Fire Station set visit into a cast reveal on Aug. 31, and the biggest change was plain to see: Tosh Zhang, Maxi Lim and Noah Yap are back in the Ah Boys orbit, this time as the older hands guiding a new batch of recruits in *Ah Boys To Firefighters*. The Straits Times reported that the film is headed for a Chinese New Year 2027 release, and film readers should care because Neo is trying to refresh a familiar franchise without making this a sequel. The new cast is younger, more mixed, and tied to the SCDF itself, which changes both the story and the weight on the people carrying it. ## Jack Neo Brings the Ah Boys Back in New Uniforms The Straits Times reported that more than 1,000 hopefuls answered Neo’s call for the film, with social media doing part of the work that used to belong to casting notices and word of mouth. Some applicants posted audition clips that found their own audience online. That gave the film early reach before a frame was shot. Neo said the final picks were shaped by performance and by how well the actors matched characters already on the page. Some were called back for second and third rounds. The new lineup includes Luqmaan Hakiim, 23; Raynold Tan, 28; Kiki Darling, 24; and Malaysian actor and content creator Chai Chang Yong, 30. The roles fit them in different ways. Neo said Hakiim and Darling brought the young energy their characters needed. Tan, who has worked as an actor for four years and appeared in the Filipino boys’ love series *The Day I Loved You* in 2023, stood out for his acting. Chai, Neo said, brings a ready-made audience across the Causeway and a large following on Instagram and YouTube. ![Admas Pee with Jack Neo at CNAC 2018](https://pokemon-dive.us-lax-4.linodeobjects.com/cinepixo/posts/2026/09/fd122ec6-2f2c-416e-97a8-17a21de220f1.webp) *Photo: Abuibrahim100 · [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · [source](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Admas_Pee_with_Jack_Neo.jpg)* ## The New Recruits and the Story They Carry At the center of the film is Ayden Cheong, played by Tan, who secretly joins the Singapore Civil Defence Force despite his mother’s objections. He is one of four young national servicemen posted to the same fire station, each with a different attitude toward service. The others are Hassan, played by Hakiim; West Seah, played by Chai; and Ramesh Menon, played by Darling. As they answer tougher and tougher emergencies, the film follows fear, trauma, guilt and the burden of being responsible for other people’s lives. A bad call pushes Ayden to wonder whether he can do the job. The pressure also touches his relationship with his wealthy girlfriend. Neo said a major fire later forces him to face his father’s past and what pushes firefighters toward danger. This is also where Neo has widened the frame. The Straits Times reported that the cast reflects the SCDF more closely, with Malay, Indian and Chinese actors in the mix. The film will be mostly in English, with Mandarin in the dialogue too. Women are part of the firefighter world here as well, which is one reason the title changed from the earlier *Ah Boys To Firemen*. ![Jack Neo July 2016](https://pokemon-dive.us-lax-4.linodeobjects.com/cinepixo/posts/2026/09/22434c10-b270-4d1a-80b9-1027371e63da.webp) *Photo: 中都新聞 · [CC BY 3.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0) · [source](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jack_Neo_July_2016.jpg)* ![Jack Neo](https://pokemon-dive.us-lax-4.linodeobjects.com/cinepixo/posts/2026/09/e7723ef2-9dad-4fdb-9fe9-ba0a191b0e14.webp) *Photo: Bonkers The Clown · [CC BY-SA 3.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) · [source](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jack_Neo_January_2013_(cropped).jpg)* ## Tosh Zhang, Maxi Lim and Noah Yap as the Older Hands The return of Zhang, Lim and Yap gives the film its old rhythm, but not its old arrangement. Fourteen years after *Ah Boys To Men* first made them familiar faces, they are now the seniors on set. Their job is to show the younger actors how to work with Neo, how to handle repeated takes, and how to stay steady through a long day. The Straits Times reported that Tan often asked Zhang for advice on shaping scenes, and that Zhang was generous with his experience. Neo said the newer actors needed more help with their characters and with something as simple, and as hard, as staying present when the camera was on someone else. An ensemble can fall apart if everyone tries to own the room at once. AsiaOne reported that the old trio also gave practical advice off camera. Zhang told the new actors not to memorize every line too tightly, because Neo often changes things on set. Lim told them to rest when they can. Noah said repeated takes are part of the job, not a sign that they are doing badly. That is the useful kind of mentoring: no speeches, just a reminder that a long shoot can wear on the body and the nerves. ## What the Civil Defence Academy Training Changed The film’s firefighters are not window dressing, and Neo seems intent on keeping it that way. The cast spent three days at the Civil Defence Academy learning casualty evacuation, hose handling and bunker gear work. The Straits Times reported that a mock firefighting exercise hit hard, because visibility and hearing were badly limited once the gear went on. The equipment matters because it changes the actor’s face and posture. The breathing apparatus and bunker gear add about 15 to 20 kg on the back. Zhang said the gear was hot and uncomfortable, and that it carried a certain pressure because they were playing people who risk their lives for a living. AsiaOne reported that Zhang, who said he has some claustrophobia, came close to panic during training. That detail tells you more than a poster ever could. A uniform can look sharp on a hanger. On a moving body, with heat, weight and a hose in hand, it asks for something else entirely. ## The Box Office History Hanging Over the Shoot Neo knows the old franchise comes with memory attached. The Straits Times reported that *Ah Boys To Men 2* took in $7.9 million and still sits at the top of Singapore’s list of highest-grossing Asian movies. *Ah Boys To Men 3: Frogmen* made $7.62 million. The first film earned $6.2 million, and *Ah Boys To Men 4* made $5 million. That history gives the new film a clear problem and a clear chance. The old cast is older now. The audience is older too, or gone off and had children of its own. So Neo is trying to pass the story to people who were too young for the first round, or not born yet. Zhang said they do not think about box office. They focus on the work and let the audience decide. The audience will get the decision soon enough, but first it gets the gear: the breathing apparatus and bunker kit, 15 to 20 kg of it on the firefighter’s back. ## How this piece was made **Format:** Editorial feature ## In this piece - [Tosh Zhang](https://cinepixo.com/people/tosh-zhang) - [Maxi Lim](https://cinepixo.com/people/maxi-lim) - [Jack Neo](https://cinepixo.com/people/jack-neo) ## Sources - https://www.straitstimes.com/life/entertainment/ah-boys-actors-tosh-zhang-maxi-lim-and-noah-yap-mentor-new-generation-in-jack-neos-latest-film - https://www.asiaone.com/entertainment/ah-boys-to-firefighters-jack-neo-tosh-zhang-noah-yap-maxi-lim-zhin-sadali Every factual claim above is drawn from these. The reading of them is ours. Source: https://cinepixo.com/blog/jack-neos-ah-boys-return-as-the-mentors-in-firefighter-gear Written for CinePixo. Nothing on this page is imported prose.