“American Born Chinese” is getting a series adaptation on Disney Plus, and “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” director Destin Daniel Cretton is set to direct.
What we know so far: The adaptation of Gene Luen Yang’s award-winning 2006 graphic novel was announced by Disney on Oct. 4, with Yang onboard as an executive producer.
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- “American Born Chinese” follows Jin Wang, a Chinese American student who, along with new foreign student Chin-Kee, encounters mythological gods such as the Monkey King.
- The action-comedy delves into cultural identity and family.
- Besides landing on the New York Times bestselling list, “American Born Chinese” was a 2006 National Book Award Finalist for Young People’s Literature and the winner of the 2007 Eisner Award for Best Graphic Album: New. He was also the winner of the 2007 Michael L. Printz Award and a 2007 Bank Street Award for Best Children’s Book of the Year.
Who else is involved: Ayo Davis, president of Disney Branded Television, described the adaptation as “fantastically memorable and imaginative” to Deadline.
- The cast has yet to be announced, but “Bob’s Burgers” executive producer Kelvin Yu and his brother, Charles Yu, are set to write and produce the series.
- “Gene Luen Yang’s book is a staple in American literature, and deeply important to a whole generation of readers,” said Kelvin Yu. “Destin and Melvin are storytellers working at the highest level imaginable. It’s all so exciting and so humbling to be a part of.”
- Cretton said about the upcoming series, which will mark his first time directing a TV show, “Reading Kelvin’s riveting adaptation of Gene’s incredible novel had me laughing and crying and jumping out of my chair on every page.” He added, “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.”
