Disney+ is packing in the action — and taking it to zany new heights — in its upcoming Disney+ series.
American Born Chinese, premiering next month, follows average high schooler Jin Wang who is assigned as a guide to foreign exchange student Wei-Chen. Though taking on such a task wouldn’t have been his first choice, Jin’s connection to Wei-Chen results in him being entangled in a battle between Gods of Chinese mythology.
The series also countsStephanie Hsuas one of its recurring guest stars, ultimately reuniting her with herEverything Everywhere All at Oncecostars Yeoh, 60, and Quan, 51.
In the epicfirst trailer, Jin’s normal day-to-day existence turns upside down with the arrival of foreign exchange student Wei-Chen, who is going to “tag along” with him to all of his classes. And as if high school isn’t hard enough, Jin begins getting picked on for making “a new friend.”
Carlos Lopez-Calleja/Disney
“I just thought this year was gonna be different,” Jin tells Wei-Chen.
“What’s going on?” asks Jin, leading Wei-Chen to reveal, “I’m not from this world.”
Wei-Chen continues, “I need your help with my quest to stop the uprising. The gate between Earth and Heaven is opening.”
From there, Yeoh’s Guanyin explains what would happen if they fail to successfully prevent this uprising from happening. “You must stop it or everyone will perish,” she says. “The fate of your world hangs in the balance.”
“You’re my guide,” Wei-Chen replies.
Michelle Yeoh.Carlos Lopez-Calleja/Disney
The trailer then gives a glimpse of theEverything Everywhere All at Oncecrew in action — with some of the effects resembling stuff fans saw in the A24 flick. Giving another warning, Yeoh’s character says: “It will be difficult and dangerous.”
“Fate is not decided up there,” Quan’s Freddy Wong then adds. “But down here.”
American Born Chineseis based on Gene Luen Yang’s2006 graphic novelof the same name. Opening up exclusively to PEOPLE about the series adaptation, the show’s creator explained how meaningful this project has been for him.
“The opportunity to adapt this graphic novel was a challenge both daunting and irresistible. Luckily, I had help every step of the way, from experienced producers to feature film directors to brilliant writers to the incredible cast and crew,” Kelvin Yu told PEOPLE in a statement. “Making this season felt like lightning in a bottle.”
Stephanie Hsu.Disney
He continued, “For so many of us, it was also a love letter to our parents, our community, and to our younger selves, who struggled to make sense of it all. I’m crazy grateful to have been part of this.”
Yu also addressed what it meant to have Yeoh and Quan attached to the project, which launches shortly afterthe two costars won Academy Awardsfortheir respective performancesinEverything Everywhere All at Once.
“When we first started shooting,Everything Everywherehadn’t actually come out yet. All we knew was that they had made an indie they were really excited about,” Yu recalled. “I think when the trailer dropped though, we immediately had a sense it was special. But still, who could’ve predicted the year ahead! Then as momentum began to build, it became clear that something magical was happening here — and we had front-row seats to it all.”
Ke Huy Quan.Carlos Lopez-Calleja/Disney
“Watching both of them stand on that Oscar stage was somehow unsurprising and also stunning at the same time,” he continued. “These are my friends now, my collaborators, and seeing them be recognized like that was the stuff of dreams. I was jumping around my kitchen, to be honest. People say this a lot, but it couldn’t have happened to two more deserving, humble, or kind people.”
Yu said there is “a lot of trust involved knowing that audiences will soon get to see the show,” but he’s “just hoping and keeping faith that, if you made it from a real place, it will connect with someone somewhere.”
“I think I can sleep at night knowing we told a story that mattered to us, we made it with people we love, and we had a fantastic time doing it,” he added. “If you can say all those things, you’re winning. I do feel like that.”
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American Born Chinesepremieres May 24 on Disney+
source: people.com
