Actors Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, and Daniel Wu, along with showrunner Kelvin Yu, creator Gene Luen Yang, costume designer Joy Cretton, costume supervisor Jose Ramos, and costume consultant Phillip Lim discuss the costumes that dress the ancient and modern worlds in this behind the scenes look at American Born Chinese. Watch season one now on Disney+.
American Born Chinese is an in-development Disney+ TV series based on the graphic novel of the same name by Gene Luen Yang.
In October of 2021 new broke that Disney+ had ordered the property straight to series. Destin Daniel Cretton (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings) is set to direct and executive produce the series. Kelvin Yu (Westworld) writer, showrunner and executive producer. Brother Charles Yu (also of Westworld) is writing and executive producing. Melvin Mar, Jake Kasdan, Asher Goldstein and Yang are also executive producers.
Ben Wang is set to play the protagonist Jin Wang, an immigrant from Taiwan struggling to find his identity in America. Jim Liu plays Wei-Chen, Ben's best friend. Sydney Taylor is cast as Amelia, Jin's crush. Daniel Wu is set to play the mythic figure of The Monkey King, on a quest to America to find his son. Ke Huy Quan is cast as Freddy Wong. Michelle Yeoh has the prominent role of Guanyin, the aunt of Wei-Chen, who has a secret identity as, "the all-powerful Buddhist bodhisattva of Compassion." Yeo Yann Yann and Chin Han plays Jin's parents.
The publisher of the graphic novel provides this synopsis: "American Born Chinese tells the story of three apparently unrelated characters: Jin Wang, who moves to a new neighborhood with his family only to discover that he's the only Chinese-American student at his new school; the powerful Monkey King, subject of one of the oldest and greatest Chinese fables; and Chin-Kee, a personification of the ultimate negative Chinese stereotype, who is ruining his cousin Danny's life with his yearly visits. Their lives and stories come together with an unexpected twist in this action-packed modern fable. American Born Chinese is an amazing ride, all the way up to the astonishing climax."
The show is in development with Disney Branded Television and 20th Television.
