“American Born Chinese,” the graphic novel by Gene Luen Yang and Lark Pien, is getting a Disney+ adaptation and has an all star group attached. “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” alum Michelle Yeoh and director Destin Daniel Cretton are on board. They’re joined by Daniel Wu, Ben Wang, Ke Huy Quan, Yeo Yann Yan, Sydney Talyor, and Chin Han.
The graphic novel follows the adventures of Jin Wang, a high schooler who after meeting a new student, Wei-Chen, finds that his life becomes intertwined in a battle amongst Chinese mythological gods. He’ll need to navigate his immigrant home life, this fabled entanglement, and oh yeah, school.
The source material for “American Born Chinese” was a National Book Award finalist, and won the Printz Award and an Eisner Award.
Yeoh will be playing Guanying, Wi-Chen’s auntie and oh yeah an embodiment of the all-powerful Buddhist bodhisattva of Compassion. Yann and Han will be playing Jin’s Taiwanese parents. Wu will be playing Sun Wukong, better known as the Monkey King – one of the most frequently adapted figures in Chinese fiction. Sun Wukong enters the realm of mere mortals in search of his son.
Kelvin Yu will serve as showrunner and executive producer. He has previously worked on the animated shows “Bob’s Burgers” and “Central Park.” He can currently be seen on Apple TV+’s “The Afterparty,” and has starred in numerous projects.
Yeoh will next be seen in “The Witcher: Blood Origin,” and James Cameron’s elusive “Avatar” sequels. Cretton is also working on other projects for Marvel Studios and Disney+ as part of his muti-year overall deal with them. At least one of his projects also includes a new Marvel Studios series for the streaming service, as well as a “Shang-Chi” sequel.
“American Born Chinese” will be heading into production soon, and will air on Disney+.
