Disney+’s “American Born Chinese” Gets a Release Date and a New Teaser Featuring Michelle Yeoh

2 years ago

A new action-packed series called “American Born Chinese,” based on the 2006 graphic novel of the same name by Gene Luen Yang, is coming to Disney+, and it’s set to feature a major “Everything Everywhere All at Once” reunion. Although it won’t arrive until later this year, we already know so many exciting details about the show, including the fact that a number of huge names are attached to the project.

On March 12, Disney+ announced the comedy series will premiere on Wednesday, May 24, and debuted a new teaser. In the preview, series star Michelle Yeoh reveals the “fate of the world hangs in the balance,” and it’s up to a young boy to become the hero the world needs on the action-packed show. She’s joined in the teaser by her fellow “Everything Everywhere All at Once” costars Ke Huy Quan and Stephanie Hsu.

The series has an equally stacked creative team working behind the scenes, including Kelvin Yu (“Bob’s Burgers”), who created and is showrunning the series. Meanwhile, Melvin Mar and Jake Kasdan, who previously worked on “Fresh Off the Boat,” are joining Yu, Yang, Asher Goldstein (“Just Mercy”), and Erin O’Malley (“New Girl”) as executive producers. Not to mention, the show brought in “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” director Destin Daniel Cretton to direct and executive produce.

Read on for everything you need to know about “American Born Chinese” ahead of the series’s May premiere.

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"American Born Chinese" Plot

According to the show’s official synopsis, “American Born Chinese” revolves around a high school student named Jin Wang (Ben Wang). He’s like any other teenager who’s trying to balance his “social life with his home life,” but on the first day of the new school year, his world gets turned upside down when he meets a new student and is soon thrown into “a battle of Chinese mythological gods.”

In a featurette for the series, Wang (the actor) said the show “explores culture and identity through the lens of adolescents.” Meanwhile, Yeoh teased that viewers can expect “a lot of fun,” “a lot of magic,” and “a lot of badass action” throughout the series.

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"American Born Chinese" Cast

The cast of “American Born Chinese” is stacked. First up, Ben Wang will star as Jin Wang, who’s described as a teenager “struggling” with his identity. Wang’s previous acting credits include series like “Search Party,” “The Last O.G.,” and “MacGyver.”

“Singapore Dreaming” star Yeo Yann Yann will play Jin’s mother, Christine Wang, who is “a strong-willed, opinionated woman with a sly wit.” Jin’s “hard-working” and “devoted” father, Simon Wang, will be portrayed by Chin Han. You may recognize him from “The Dark Knight” and “Contagion.”

Also starring in the series are Jim Liu as Jin’s new friend Wei-Chen and Yeoh as Wei-Chen’s aunt Guanyin. Yeoh’s “EEAAO” costars Ke Huy Quan (“The Goonies”) and Stephanie Hsu (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel“) will also be in the show.

Rounding out the cast are Sydney Taylor (“Just Add Magic: Mystery City”) and Daniel Wu (“Westworld“).