Mythology is in the air. Disney’s recent hit Eternals just landed on Disney+. An upcoming Percy Jackson TV series will soon come our way. And now, we have casting news for another mythologically-oriented show, American Born Chinese. American Born Chinese will stream on Disney+ and it will star, among others, Michelle Yeoh and her Everything Everywhere All at Once co-star Stephanie Hsu.
A release from the streamer shares more about the show:
American Born Chinese tells the story of Jin Wang, an average teenager juggling his high school social life with his 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-packed coming-of-age adventure explores identity, culture, and family.
Tangling with gods always makes for an excellent premise. And we love it all mixed in with a deeper exploration of culture and mythos. Additionally, the new series is actually an adaptation. The release shares “the genre-hopping action-comedy [is] based on the graphic novel of the same name by Gene Luen Yang.” Even more to love.
But what we love most comes in the form of a long list of great actors who will join the show. Disney+ shared American Born Chinese‘s casting line-up so far.
Michelle Yeoh as “Guanyin,” an unassuming auntie, who helps her nephew Wei-Chen navigate the challenges of American high school while maintaining her secret identity as the all-powerful Buddhist bodhisattva of Compassion.Ben Wang as “Jin Wang,” an American teen whose parents immigrated from Taiwan, who is struggling to carve out exactly who he’s supposed to be socially and culturally.
Yeo Yann Yann as Jin’s mom, “Christine Wang,”a strong-willed, opinionated woman with a sly wit, who loves her family deeply.
Chin Han as Jin’s father, “Simon Wang,” a hard-working, devoted father and husband who is bumping up against the “bamboo ceiling” at his job.
Daniel Wu as Sun Wukong “The Monkey King,” the legendary, all-powerful god of the Chinese epic Journey to the West, who enters our world in search of his son.
Ke Huy Quan as “Freddy Wong,” a fictional character from a popular mid-1990s sitcom.
Jim Liu as Jin’s confident friend “Wei-Chen,” a teen who has just arrived in the United States, whose sweet demeanor belies the deeper mystery of his true identity.
Sydney Taylor as “Amelia,” a friendly “All-American” girl who is Jin’s classmate and crush.
Most recently, Variety also revealed that Stephanie Hsu, Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan’s Everything Everywhere All at Once co-star would also join the show. According to the article, Hsu will play “Shiji Niangniang, the Goddess of Stones, who works in a modern-day jewelry shop along with her magical dog.”
Stephanie Hsu as a goddess. Michelle Yeoh as “the all-powerful Buddhist bodhisattva of Compassion.” Hello, yes. Sign us up. Of course, we hope that the series does all of its homework and ensures a respectful depiction of the cultures it displays.
In addition to the casting, we learned that Kelvin Yu will act as executive producer and showrunner. Destin Daniel Cretton will direct and act as an executive producer. Melvin Mar and Jake Kasdan, Erin O’Malley, Asher Goldstein, and Gene Luen Yang will also executive produce.
Fingers crossed for a trailer in the not-too-distant future. We can’t wait to go on this adventure.
