Which book is 'American Born Chinese' based on? Disney+ trailer brings Gene Luen Yang's imagination to life
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Disney+ is making strides when it comes to original series’ in 2023, and ‘American Born Chinese’ is going to be yet another brilliant addition to this mix. When the cast of ‘American Born Chinese’ was first announced, fans were thrilled to see the cast of ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ reunite. Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, and Stephani Hsu will also be a part of ‘American Born Chinese’ but that isn’t the only exciting part about this movie.
Apart from the stellar cast from but not limited to 'Everything Everywhere All at Once', ‘American Born Chinese’ has a lot going for it already, but the one thing that truly stands out is the book that it has been adapted from. Viewers and book readers are often conflicted about adaptations, but by the looks of it, the upcoming Michelle Yeoh-starrer film will ease everyone’s mind, or at least that’s what people are hoping for!
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Which book is 'American Born Chinese' based on?
Disney+’s upcoming action comedy series is based on a graphic novel by Gene Luen Yang which was originally published in 2006. Fans of the novel might be a little concerned about whether or not the series will do justice to the source material, but the official trailer has put everyone’s minds at ease. A fan of the book wrote, “I actually read the book months before this comes out, and I love it. It’s probably the perfect coming-of-age story and I’m hoping this show keeps the spirit of the novel.”
The trailer looks incredibly promising, and the expectations have been set incredibly high. The graphic novel by Gene Luen Yang was a finalist in the 2006 National Book Awards under the Young People’s Literature category. While there is no doubt that this novel and series are both coming-of-age, they can certainly be enjoyed by people across different generations, especially the Chinese community in America, which is a large part of the country.
Apart from being the finalist in 2006, this graphic novel went on to win several awards including the prestigious Michael L Printz Award and Forbes described this graphic novel as “one of the most topical Chinese American graphic novels around youth and growing up in America.” So, if you haven’t read the graphic novel just yet, it might be the perfect time to do so before Disney+ releases 'American Born Chinese'.
What is the graphic novel ‘American Born Chinese’ about?
The graphic novel, ‘American Born Chinese’ isn’t exactly an anthology series, but more of a fishbone structure. That means, there are three separate storylines in the novel, that eventually collide with each other in some way or another. The first story is based on a Kung Fu practicing Monkey King. If you are well-versed in Chinese literature, this storyline might excite you! The second story is based on a child of Chinese immigrants, and the third story is based on an American boy and his Chinese cousin. Of course, there is a pattern in all these stories, and that reflects in the title, ‘American Born Chinese'.
It will be interesting to see how these stories are adapted onto the screen, and just how accurate the adaptation is. As mentioned before, the expectations are set high, all thanks to the source material, the stellar cast, and the directors, Lucy Liu and Destin Daniel Cretton.
‘American Born Chinese’ will be available to stream on Disney+ from May 24, 2023.