The CW has officially renewed their new hit series Kung Fu for a second season just under a month after the show premiered, according to Variety. The network has also renewed the Brec Bassinger-led Stargirl for a third season.
“We are beyond proud to continue to share the stories of Nicky Shen and Courtney Whitmore, two strong, powerful young women at the center of this new generation of hit shows for The CW in Kung Fu and DC’s Stargirl,” said Mark Pedowitz, chairman and CEO of The CW Network. “While each boasts remarkable talent on both sides of the camera, Kung Fu and DC’S Stargirl have not only treated fans to some visually stunning action and high-flying heroics, but they also both strike very powerful emotional chords as they delve into the family dynamics and personal relationships at their core, and we are so excited to see what happens next.”
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In the Kung Fu reboot series, a quarter-life crisis causes a young Chinese-American woman, Nicky Chen (Liang), to drop out of college and go on a life-changing journey to an isolated monastery in China. But when she returns to find her hometown overrun with crime and corruption, she uses her martial arts skills and Shaolin values to protect her community and bring criminals to justice…all while searching for the assassin who killed her Shaolin mentor and is now targeting her.
The series is led by Olivia Liang (Legacies), Tzi Ma (Mulan) Kheng Hua Tan (Crazy Rich Asians), Gavin Stenhouse, Gwendoline Yeo (Desperate Housewives), Eddie Liu, Shannon Dang, Jon Prasida, Yvonne Chapman, and Vanessa Kai. The show is co-created by Blindspot‘s Christina M. Kim and Martin Gero, the new Kung-Fu series is written by Kim and will be executive produced by Greg Berlanti and Sarah Schechter through their Berlanti Productions along with Kim and Gero through Gero’s Quinn’s House Production banner.
Stargirl follows the story of Courtney Whitmore (Brec Bassinger) who is a smart, athletic, and above all else kind girl. This high school teenager’s seemingly perfect life hits a major speedbump when her mother gets married and her new family moves from Los Angeles, California to Blue Valley, Nebraska. Struggling to adapt to a new school, make new friends and deal with a new step-family, Courtney discovers her step-father has a secret; he used to be the sidekick to a superhero. “Borrowing” the long-lost hero’s cosmic staff, Courtney becomes the unlikely inspiration for an entirely new generation of superheroes.
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Season 2 will feature new villains with the addition of Nick Tarabay (The Expanse, Pacific Rim: Uprising) as Eclipso and Jonathan Cake (The Affair) as The Shade along with Jim Gaffigan as the voice of the CGI character Thunderbolt. Up-and-coming young actress Ysa Penarejo (Project Mc2) has also joined the new season for a mystery role. John Wesley Shipp will also be guest-starring in the second season, reprising his Arrowverse role as Jay Garrick. The series also stars Amy Smart (The Butterfly Effect), Trae Romano (Robbie), Anjelika Washington (Shameless, Young Sheldon), Giancarlo Esposito (Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul), Joel McHale (Community) as Starman, Lou Ferrigno Jr. (S.W.A.T.) as Rex Tyler/Hourman, Brian Stapf as Wildcat, Luke Wilson (Charlie’s Angels), as Pat Dugan, Henry Thomas as Dr. Mid-Nite, Joy Osmanski (The Santa Clarita Diet) as Tigress, Neil Hopkins (Matador) as Sportsmaster, and Nelson Lee (Mulan) as Dragon King.
Character creator Geoff Johns writes and produces the series through his Mad Ghost Productions banner alongside Greg Berlanti and Berlanti Productions.
