NEWSShoots
&
Ladders
TEXT BY SERENA KIM
ILLUSTRATION BY VIDHYA NAGARAJAN
FILM
Mar vel took us all by surprise by announcing
that Simu Liu will play the titular lead in Shang-Chi
and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Hawaiian-born Des-
tin Daniel Cretton is set to direct. The word on the
street is that Awkwafina will play an as-of-yet un-
named role.
She has also signed on the dotted line to be the
new Scuttle (R.I.P. Buddy Hackett) in the live-action
The Little Mermaid. No release date is yet set. But
we are looking for ward to hearing Halle Bailey sing
“Part of Your World.” We love the idea of an African
American mermaid, but hopefully we won’t have to
wait another 30 years for an Asian American one. In
the meantime, we can’t wait to see Awkwafina as the
Collector in Netf lix’s upcoming The Dark Cr ystal:
Age of Resistance, debuting Aug. 30.
Right now, everybody is talking about The Fare-
well, but the director has already moved on to new
projects. Lulu Wang is set to direct a science-fiction
movie based on Children of the New World, the short
story collection by Alexander Weinstein. This must
be a really dope book because another revered Asian
American director, Kogonada, also adapted one of the
stories, “Saying Goodbye to Yang.” Apparently, the
story collection grapples with issues of technology,
spirituality, immersive VR gaming and creepy robots.
I’m ordering my copy today!
There was much protest and dissent about the
#Oscarssowhite controversy. Essentially, the histo-
r y of the most prestigious movie awards ceremony
was biased in favor of people of a paler complexion.
In 2015, only 8 percent of the voting committee were
people of color. In an attempt to correct this historic
wrong, the Academy has added a bunch of new di-
verse members. Asian roll call! Gemma Chan, Nisha
Ganatra, Jonathan M. Chu, Ken Kao, Rosalind Chao,
Tamlyn Tomita, Archie Panjabi, Hong Ky ung-pyo,
A kira Sako, Zoya A khtar, Zero Chou, Yim Soon-r ye,
Jimmy Chin, Hong Hy ung-sook, Su Kim, Ma Li, Kar-
en K.H. Sim, Miao Wang, Hao Wu, Jean Chi, Chantal
Nong, Jun Oh, Winnie Tsang, Mako Kamitsuna, Kim
Hy un and many, many others. Yay!TV
We knew that Steven Yeun was up to something
good when Korean American indie casting director
Julia Kim asked us if we knew of any amazing bilin-
gual Korean kid actors. Unfortunately we didn’t, but
now we know that she was working on Minari, writ-
ten and directed by Lee Isaac Chung and financed
and produced by A24 (who bought The Farewell at
Sundance last year). According to the Hollywood
Reporter, the film is also being produced by Plan B,
Yeun and Chung. Starring Yeun, Minari is about a
Korean American boy growing up in rural Arkansas
with his immigrant parents.
Speaking of Korean Americans, David Chang hasanother food series coming out on Netf lix this fall.
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner documents Chang and a
different celebrity buddy exploring a new locale in
each episode. Along the way, they learn about the
city’s culture, cuisine and “something surprising
about themselves,” according to Deadline. After his
deep thoughts about ethnicity and authenticity in
Ugly Delicious, we hope Chang’s new show will be a
stimulating watch.CORPORATE
Meanwhile in suit-landia, Netf lix just named
Jackie Lee-Joe as its chief marketing officer, replac-
ing Kelly Bennett, who is retiring. Lee-Joe graduated
from the University of Sydney and the University
of New South Wales and most recently worked as
the CMO of BBC Studios. “Jackie is a truly original
thinker with a wealth of global experience—making
her the perfect fit as our next chief marketing officer.
I’m excited to work with her in promoting our brand
and original programming in new and creative ways
to our members all around the world,” said Netf lix
Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos.
According to Deadline, Universal Pictures has
tapped Jeyun Choi Munford (formerly of Lionsgate)
to be the new senior vice president, Production
Development. Have faith, underlings. Munford
started her career as an assistant at Lionsgate, rose to
senior vice president, and now look at her!Asian Americans make major power moves in the entertainment industry.
Who’s got clout now?
CM