According to Deadline, Disney+ has officially given a straight-to-series order for the upcoming series adaptation of Gene Luen Yang’s 2006 graphic novel titled American Born Chinese. The project hails from Destin Daniel Cretton, who is coming off from the successful theatrical run of his latest directorial feature, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.
“Reading Kelvin’s riveting adaptation of Gene’s incredible novel had me laughing and crying and jumping out of my chair on every page,” Cretton said in a statement. “I feel deeply connected to the characters in this story and the brilliant team bringing it to life. This show is going to be unlike anything we’ve experienced on TV, and I can’t wait for the world to see what we’re cooking up.”
“We are delighted to continue our relationship with Melvin Mar and Jake Kasdan and thrilled that Destin Daniel Cretton is set to direct,” Ayo Davis, president of Disney Branded Television, said. “The team are visionaries in bringing character-driven adventures to life, and we cannot wait for our audience to experience this fantastically memorable and imaginative adaptation of the graphic novel. This is a great universal story that moves between worlds and explores the impact of culture, identity, and acceptance through the lens of adolescence.”
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Disney+’s American Born Chinese will be directed by Cretton from a screenplay written by brothers Kelvin Yu (Bob’s Burgers), and Charles Yu (Westworld), with Kelvin Yu also set as the showrunner. Casting is expected to begin soon.
Pick up a copy of the graphic novel here!
The series adaptation is being described as an action-comedy that is set to explore issues of identity, culture, and family. It tells the story of Jin Wang, an average teenager who’s trying to juggle his high school social life with his immigrant home life. When he meets a new foreign student on the first day of the school year, even more worlds collide as Jin is unwittingly entangled in a battle of Chinese mythological gods. The action-comedy explores issues of identity, culture, and family.
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American Born Chinese will be executive produced by Cretton, the Yu Brothers, Gene Luen Yang, Melvin Mar, Jake Kasdan, and Asher Goldstein. The series is a production by 20th Television.
