Michelle Yeoh stars in Netlix crime family drama 'The Brothers Sun'

The Brothers Sun cast, from left:Justin Chen, Michelle Yeoh and Sam Song Li.

Even before she won her Best Actress Oscar for her role in Everything Everywhere All At Once, Michelle Yeoh was a busy actress.

Now it seems that a new project featuring the Malaaysian-born actress is popping out  every few months. Since her Academy Award in 2022 she was featured in Netlix's American Born Chinese series and the feature A Haunting in Venice. Her latest project is the Netflix crime drama series The Brothers Sun, which debuted today, Jan. 4.

Created by Brad Falchuk and Byron Wu, the series explores “what it means to be a son, what it means to be a brother, and also what it means to try and keep a family together,” said Falchuk.

“We do an extreme version of it because they’re a crime family and there are people shooting at them and trying to kill them. But the conflicts they’re having — the problems they’re having internally, the emotional problems — are very, very universal.”

When the head of a powerful Taiwanese triad is shot by a mysterious assassin, his eldest son, legendary killer Charles "Chairleg" Sun (Justin Chien) heads to Los Angeles to protect his mother, Eileen (Michelle Yeoh), and his naive younger brother, Bruce (Sam Song Li) — who's been completely sheltered from the truth of his family until now. 

But as Taipei's deadliest societies and a new rising faction go head-to-head for dominance — Charles, Bruce and their mother must heal the wounds caused by their separation and figure out what brotherhood and family truly mean before one of their countless enemies kills them all.

        FYI: The Brothers Sun is available on Netflix. Watch the trailer here or below.

Her new role allowed Yeoh to explore a character in depth. “She seems like an ordinary mom who sends her boy to school and lives a lower middle class life, quiet and loving, until the world comes crashing in on her and she’s met by a son that she has not seen for many years," she told the Toronto Sun.

"It was great to explore the motions that were going through her head: what it means to be a mother and what it means, at different times of your life, to make difficult choices to protect those you love most.”

Based on the trailers, there will be plenty of action but a side attraction will be the food. You can also expect plenty of mouthwatering food that will leave you hungry — or eager to hop in the kitchen with the Sun family. “You can’t tell an Asian story without food being involved because, especially with family, there’s just no way to separate the two,” said Wu.

“[Eating] really is such an integral part of the family unit that it had to be there, because otherwise it would be not truthful.” Food stylist Melissa McCorley based a good portion of the meals around traditional Chinese dishes, either family style at home or the formal gourmet type meal.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow me at Threads.net/eduardodiok, @DioknoEd on Twitter or at the blog Views From the Edge.

Do Oscar wins by 'Everything Everywhere All at Once' equate to recognition of AANHPI?

SCREEN CAPTURE / ABC

Co-directors and writing team Daniel Scheinert and Daniel Kwan give thanks to the Academy.

When the movie Everything Everywhere All at Once won the Screen Actors Guild Best Ensemble award earlier this month, 94-year old James Wong, veteran of over 600 movies and TV shows, reminded the audience about how White actors used to go Yellowface to portray Asian characters. He reveled at the acting award, "Look at us now!"

After winning seven Oscars last night, including the big prize for Best Picture and two of the four acting awards, you could not blame the AANHPI communities repeat Hong's exclamation, "Look at us, now!"

"This is for my dad, who like so many immigrant parents, died young. He is so proud of me, not because of this, but because we made this movie with what he taught me to do... and no one is more important than anyone else." said co-producer Jonathan Wang upon receiving his statuette for Best Picture.

History was made when Michelle Yao was named Best Actress, the first Asian* to win this award.  

(*When Indian American Merle Oberon won Best Actress in 1936 for The Dark Angel, she was "passing.") 

"For all the little boys and girls who look like me watching tonight, this is a beacon of hope and possibilities," the Malaysia-born Yeoh said as she held up her Oscar. "Dream big and dreams do come true."

The 60-year old actress who has been acting for 40 years also gave a shout-out to women, saying, "And ladies, don't let anybody tell you you are ever past your prime. Never give up."

Ke Huy Quan won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar, only the second actor of Asian descent to win this award. Haing Ngor won for The Killing Fields in 1984.

In his emotional acceptance speech, Quan said, "My journey started on a boat. I spent a year in a refuge camp. And somehow, I ended up here on Hollywood's biggest stage."

"They say stories like this only happen the movies. I cannot believe it's happening to me. This -- this is the American dream," he added.

In addition to Best Picture, EEAAO won best director, best original screenplay and best supporting actress Jamie Lee Curtis for her role as the IRS agent and Editing.

“There is greatness in every single person,” Daniel Kwan said as he accepted best director with co-director Daniel Schenert,. “It doesn’t matter who we are. There is genius in every single person, you just have to find it. Thank you to the people who unlocked my genius.”

Kwan becomes the third winner of Asian descent to win a directing Oscar. Chloe Zhao (Nomadland, 2021) and Bong Joon (Parasite, 2020) have also won the coveted statuette, the highest recognition in the movie industry.

The acting Oscars won by Yeoh and Quan marks the most given to Asian actors in a single year. 

In addition, Stephanie Hsu, the daughter in EEAAO and Hong Chau (The Whale) were also nominated in the Best Supporting Actress category making the most acting nominations ever in the same year.

Asian Americans believe this year's Academy Awards and EEAAO popular success was a watershed moment in representation and recognition of the AANHPI communities because Everything Everywhere All at Once is decidedly an Asian American film about an Asian American family. 

Following the critical success of 2018's Crazy Rich Asians  which opened the door for Asian American and Asian movies like Minari and The Farewell and the award-winning Parasite, have helped paved the way for general acceptance despite the surge of anti-Asian incidents that continue to occur.

In a way, Academy recognition could be interpreted as another step towards the recognition of all AANHPI people who are too often perceived as perpetual foreigners, no matter how long they have lived in the US.

Other Oscar winners with Asian themes this year include: RRR, an Indian production, which won for Best Song, "Naatu Naatu;" and The Elephant Whisperers for Best Short Documentary, which is about a Tamil couple raising an elephant in India

EDITOR'S NOTE: Updated, March 13, 12 pm. For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow @DioknoEd on Twitter.

'Everything Everywhere All At Once' pile up awards from actors, directors and producers guilds

The cast of 'Everything Everywhere All at Once' accept SAG's Best Ensemble award.

UPDATED Jan. 27, 2 p.m.

Momentum for Everything Everywhere All At Once continues to build enroute to a big night at the Academy Awards next month after winning major awards from the Screen Actors Guild Awards show last night.

With actors making up a large portion of the Academy membership, the SAG Awards is a good indicator for the Oscars. The films chances for Academy Awards were strengthened when the Directors Guild and Producers Guild gave the film its top awards, also.

Four of the five acting awards for films were won by members of the Everything Everywhere cast: Best Actress, Michele Yeo; Best Supporting Actor, Ke Huy Quan; Best Supporting Actress, Jamie Lee Curtis; and Best Ensemble.

Only the Best Actor award, which went to Brendan Fraser for The Whate, kept EEAAO from a sweep.

“This is not just for me,” said Yeoh, the first Asian actress to win the SAG Award for female lead. “It’s for every little girl that looks like me.”

Her co-star Quan, the first Asian to win best male supporting actor at the SAG Awards, almost gave up acting for lack of work, said:

“When I stepped away from acting, it was because there were so few opportunities,” said Quan. “Now, tonight we are celebrating James Hong, Michelle Yeoh, Stephanie Hsu, Hong Chau, Harry Shum Jr. The landscape looks so different now.”

But it was 94-year old James Hong, a veteran of hundreds of roles, who stole the show speaking about  the historic nature of the awards when he joined other cast members to receive the Best Ensemble award. He brought up the history of using yellowface in the movie The Good Earth made in 1937.

“The leading role was played with these guys with their eyes taped up like this and they talked like this because the producers said the Asians were not good enough and they were not box office,” said Hong. “But look at us now!”

James Hong's acceptance speech in behalf of the cast stole the show.

The SAG awards come a week after the Directors Guild gave their top award to EEAAO's directors and writers, Daniel Scheinert and Daniel Kwan, and on Saturday, Producer Jonathan Wang accepted the best film award from the Producer's Guild of America. 

Although it looks like EEAAO will do well at the Oscars, the Hollywood Reporter points out that when results sometimes differ between the two major awards, it is because SAG-AFTRA, a more diverse group than the Academy as a whole, voted for a person of color. Members from other less diverse crafts could choose someone else.

Everything Everywhere All at Once is expected to garner more accolades and praise during the Academy Awards, the most prestigious award show in in the movie industry. The 2023 Oscars will be held Sunday, March 12, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. The ceremony is set to begin at 8 p.m. EST and be broadcast live on ABC. Can you stream the Oscars? The broadcast can be streamed with a subscription to Hulu Live TV, YouTubeTV, AT&T TV and Fubo TV.

 EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow @DioknoEd on Twitter.

11 Oscar nominations for 'Everything Everywhere All At Once' tops all movies

 

The Asian American universe-switching science fiction film Everything Everywhere All At Once is poised to make history after receiving  11 Oscar nomination Tuesday morning.

After each nomination, the cast and crew, united by Zoom, let out cheers and applause. The movie was picked for Best Picture. The directors and writers, Daniel Kwan and Daniel Schienert were nominated Best Director and for Best Original Screenplay.

As expected, still basking from their Golden Globe wins, Michelle Yeoh was nominated for Best Actress and Ke Huy Quan landed a Best Supporting Actor. Stephanie Hsu and Jamie Lee Curtis were both nominated for Best Actress.

Should she win, Yeoh would become the first woman of Asian descent to win a Best Actress Oscar.

"Of course, I’m over the moon, but I feel a little sad because I know we know there have been amazing actresses from Asia that come before me, and I stand on their shoulders,” reports the New York Times interviewing Yeoh, who was in France. “I hope this will shatter that frigging glass ceiling to no end, that this will continue, and we will see more of our faces up there.”

“I was jumping up and down, screaming at the top of my voice, exactly the same way that I did when I got the phone call from my agent that the Daniels wanted me to play Waymond,” Quan told the NYTimes. He described his Oscar nomination, “It’s so surreal. I am ecstatic.”

The film's nominations also included behind-the-camera Asian Americans for Best Original Score by Son Lux, Best Costume Design by Shirley Kurata, Best Original Song "This Is A Life" which was co-written by Japanese American singer-songwriter Mitski. The movie also won Oscar nods for Best Editing.

The 11 Academy Award nominations is the most by an Asian or Asian American production.

AANHPI REPRESENTATION

With EEAAO earning the most Academy Award nominations, the AANHPI presence will be stronger than usual this year.

Joining EEAAO's Hsu and Curtis in the Best Supporting Actress category is Thai-born actress Hong Chau from The Whale.  

Other Asian and AAPI nominated for the Academy Award include: 

• Chinese Canadian Turning Red filmmaker Domee Shi in Best Animated Film;  
• Judy Chin for Make-up/hairstyling for The Whale, 
• Japanese born-UK scribe Kazuo Ishiguro for Living in Adapted Screenplay, 
• Indian producer Aman Mann and filmmaker Shaunak Sen for All That Breathes  in Best Documentary Feature, 
• Indian film producer Guneet Monga and Kartiki Gonsalves in Best Documentary Short for The Elephant Whisperers,
• “Naatu Naatu,” from RRR, for Best Song with music by M.M. Keeravaani and lyric by Chandrabose.
• Judy Chin, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, The Whale.

ACTORS & MONTEREY PARK

The day before the announcement of Oscar nominations, the cast of EEAAO gathered for dinner at a restaurant in Monterey Park a city still reeling from the mass shooting that killed 11 Lunar New Year celebrants.

The event for the EEAAO cast and crew was planned weeks earlier but it was decided to go ahead with the dinner.

“It was so sad when we saw the streets were empty. We walked into the restaurant, and it was empty,” said Quan, who lived in Monterey Park for many years. “I’m so glad we went. We didn’t shy away from it. We didn’t cancel. We went there, we showed them our love, we supported the business, and I think that’s what people should do. That’s what I hope.”

"This is not the time to stay away from Monterey Park," quan told the LA Times. "Instead we should go there and support them and show them our love. The local businesses need us.”

Yeoh expressed hope to the LA Times that the EEAAO's message of intergenerational healing will offer a “beacon of light.”

“We must hold hands, hold each other and have hope in our hearts that we can step forth and make things better,” she said. “Hopefully this will be a little beacon of light, that we can collectively embrace each other and say, ‘Let us lift each other out of this grief and sadness.’ We have to usher in hope, love and forgiveness."

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow @DioknoEd on Twitter.

Critics Choice Awards: Everything, Everywhere All At Once wins best picture

INSTAGRAM

The cast and some behind-the-scenes crew of Everything Everywhere All At Once accepted the Critics Choice award for Best Picture.

The awards season is heating up and it looks like Everything Everywhere All At Once is in a good position to contend for an Oscar on March 12.

The top prize for the LA Critics Choice award, Best Picture, went to Everything Everywhere All At Once, the adventures of a Chinese American immigrant through the multiverses. The film won the most awards and nominated for 14 categories  including Best Supporting Actor, which went to Ke Huy Quan, still beaming from his Golden Globe win. 

EEAAO's Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert also won Best Director and Best Original Screenplay, and Best Editing.

So far the science fiction movie about a Chinese American immigrant woman's adventures in the multiverse. has won 215 awards and received 317 nominations as of January 17, according to IMDB.com.

The film's star, Michelle Yeoh, who played Evelyn Wang, a hard working laundromat owner was nominated for for Best Actress but lost out to Cate Blanchett for her role in Tor. These two actresses appear to be the frontrunners for an Oscar.

“This award is dedicated to my dad, a Taiwanese immigrant who worked himself into an early grave,” producer Jonathan Wang said as part of the cast’s Best Picture acceptance speech. “And this is really dedicated to the Evelyns, the Waymonds, the immigrant parents who would kill themselves for us immigrant children to give us a better life.”

In accepting the award for Best Picture, co-director Kwan thanked his mother for inspiring Yeoh's character of laundromat owner Evelyn Wang.

“This is dedicated to my mother, who not only inspired the movie, but was the first person to plant the seed in my head that I could be a director. She told me, maybe the first Asian American immigrant mother to tell her son to go to film school,” he said.

Kwan went on to thank all immigrant parents who worked hard so that his generation could pursue their dreams.

The adventure movie from India, RRR, won Best Foreign Language film. The song from the movie, "Natu Natu," won Best Song, the same award it won at the Golden Globes.

Pachinko, Apple-plus' dramatic multi-generational epic filmed mainly in Korean and Japanese, won Best Foreign Language Series.

Nominations for the Academy Awards will be announced on Jan. 24. For a complete list Critics Choice winners, click here.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow @DioknoEd on Twitter.

'Everything Everywhere All at Once" earns six Golden Globe nominations

Golden Globe Acting nominations went to Michelle Yeoh, Jamie Lee Curtis Ke Huy Quan
for their roles in Everything Everywhere All At Once.

Hollywood may finally be realizing that there's a wealth of untapped talent in the AANHPI community.

The film Everything Everywhere All at Once earned six Golden Globe nominations, which were announced this morning (Dec. 12).

Topping the nominations is Michelle Yeoh for Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical for her portrayal of the lead character, Evelyn quan Wang, a struggling Asian immigrant shifting through a variety of roles in different universes.

Nominated in the Supporting Actor category is Yeoh's co-star Ke Huy Quan as Waymond Wang, Evelyn's gentle and patient husband who is transformed into a super-cool, brooding, kung-fu expert.

The movie with a largely Asian cast also earned a nomination for veteran actress Jamie Lee Curtis as an IRS agent.

Daniel Kwan and Daniel Sheinert, above, were nominated for Golden Globes in two categories:
directing a comedy/musical and original screenpplay.

The directors and writers, Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, who were nominated for Best Director of a Comedy/Musical and for original screenplay.

After all that, it was no surprise that the film also was nominated for Best Comedy/Musical Motion Picture.

The six awards for EEAOw as the second most for a movie. The Banshees of Inisherin, garnered eight nominations.

The Golden Globes Awards Ceremony will take place on Jan. 10, 2023. It will be returning to NBC after the network dropped the show last year for the lack of diversity among the members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) which gives out the awards. 

FYI: Click here for the complete list of nominees.

The Golden Globes in the past had been seen as launching pads for actors and movies being pushed for the Academy Awards. Yeoh and Quan have been mentioned frequently as possible Oscar nominees.

ASIANS AMONG NOMINEES

Other Asian and Asian American Golden Globe nominees include:

• Filipino actress Dolly De Leon has been nominated in the Best Supporting Actress category for her role in Triangle of Sadness, where she plays a toilet cleaner on a luxury yacht. When the passengers are stranded, de Leon's character's social status rises to the top because of her survival skills.

• Pixar's Turning Red, the Disney film about an Asian American girl's reaching puberty received a nomination in Best Animated Film category.

• Also receiving Golden Globe nominations in the foreign language category are Decision to Leave (South Korea) and RRR (India).

Filipino actress Dolly De Leon nominated for supporting role in Triangle of Sadness.

DIVERSITY CONTROVERSY 

HFPA President Helen Hoehne stresses the journalists' organization has made changes to increase the diversity of its membership. It boosted the racial and ethnic diversity of their membership to over 51% by adding 21 US-based journalists, including four journalists of Asian descent, who work for overseas outlets and more than 100 new international voters.

“The depth, diversity and size of the voting body now is historic and includes voters from 62 countries,” she said. “It is also a majority of women and those who self-identify as minorities and LGBTQIA+.”

The HFPA also discontinued the practice of accepting gifts by voting members.

Despite the reforms, it is still too early to see how Hollywood has accepted the changes. The motion picture industry appears divided. A number of actors have already stated they will not attend and a whole host responded as "maybe's."

After last year's debacle which was not televised because of the controversy, and the gathering restrictions because of COVID-19, Hollywood appears ready to party.  Others appear willing to forgive the HFPA for its questionable practices. One unnamed publicist told Deadline: “I think they deserve a chance to come back. I really do. They’re more inclusive. They’re not gonna be exclusionary."

Where and how to watch the 80th Golden Globes: 8 p.m. EST/ 5 PST Tuesday on NBC and Peacock. The pre-show streams at 6:30 p.m. EST at goldenglobes.com.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow @DioknoEd on Twitter.

Time names Michelle Yeoh 'Icon of the Year'

It was her multi-faceted dramatic performance in the surreal movie, Everything Everywhere All at Once that put the spotlight on actress Michelle Yeoh, but it was her 40-year "battle" for meaningful roles that earned her the title Icon of the Year from Time.

Yeoh tells the magazine that she had to fight a Hollywood movie industry that offered her parts that were stereotypes of Asians or harmful tropes of Asian women.

“It shouldn’t be about my race, but it has been a battle,” Yeoh tells Time. “At least let me try.”

In an interview with Time published Dec. 6, the Malaysian-born actress, 60, opened up about career obstacles she says she faced as an Asian actress in the entertainment industry.

Yeoh was already an icon in the Asian film industry for her roles in then got the role in the 1997 James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies, in which she plays Bond’s equal. She continued to win over American audiences with her supporting roles in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, Kung Fu Panda 2, several Marvel films and 2018's groundbreaking Crazy Rich Asians that featured an all Asian cast. 

Crazy Rich Asians' box office success and audience appeal opened the eyes of Hollywood studios and opened the doors to other Asian and Asian American actors and more diverse storylines and projects for the big screen and television.

It wasn’t until this last year though that Hollywood began to recognize Yeoh as a top-billed actor, seen for her acting abilities beyond white audiences' expectations of Asian thespians. 

In Everything Everywhere All at Once she starred as Evelyn Quan Wang, the universe-jumping owner of a struggling laundromat. Her performance in EEAO placed her in the mix for an Oscar nomination in the Best Actress category.

In a Gentlemen's Quarterly interview that went viral on social media, a tearful Yeoh said her role as Evelyn “was something I had been waiting for a long time”, to show audiences “what I am capable of”.

Given the Oscar buzz and the studio campaign promoting her performance, Yeoh said she feels the pressure of possibly winning as Oscar. She would be the first Asian woman to win the lead actress a

“I’ve thought about it,” Yeoh tells Time about a possible history-making Oscar win. “And not just me – I feel like my full Asian community has thought about it. They come up to me and they say, ‘You’re doing it for us.’”

“It’s not about needing it,” she tells Time. “It’s that feeling that you don’t have to explain: it’s love from other people. My arms are out open.”

"I've worked in this industry for almost 40 years, and to finally be recognized for the work that you do," she tells Buzzfeed after being honored by Time. "I've been everywhere, and I've done everything, and now I get it all at once," she joked. "So it's worth the wait."

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow @DioknoEd on Twitter.

Hollywood Critics: Michelle Yeoh's movie 'Everything Everywhere All At Once' win best picture, best actress and more

Michelle Yeoh was chosen Best Actress by the Hollywood Critics Association.

A movie with a largely Asian American cast, Everything Everywhere All At Once, was the big winner of the Hollywood Critics Association's 5th Annual Midseason Awards.

For the first time in the HCA's five-year history, one film, Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert’s Everything Everywhere All At Once, took home the top prize in every category the film was nominated in.

The film took home the award in the following categories:

• Best Picture
• Best Actress for Michelle Yeoh
• Best Supporting Actor for Ke Huy Quan
• Best Supporting Actress for Stephanie Hsu
• Best Directing for Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert
• Best Screenplay for Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert
• Best Indie Film

“2022 has offered film lovers so many great films so far; however, Everything Everywhere All At Once has resonated with viewers in a way that so few indie films do,” notes HCA Founder Scott Menzel. 

“The Daniels have created a film that has become a pop culture sensation. So many of our members have fallen in love with this film, and that love, I believe, will only continue throughout the rest of the year,” said Menzel.

The HCA Midseason Awards celebrate the best films released in the first half of the calendar year. Each of the winners will receive an award which will be mailed to them directly in the next several weeks.

While Everything Everywhere All At Once won several major categories, the HCA celebrated other films. Searchlight’s Fresh starring Sebastian Stan and Daisy Edgar-Jones, took home the award for Best Horror Film, Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis won Best Actor for Austin Butler, and Universal Pictures’ Nope took home Most Anticipated Film.

March 25 is a big day for increasing AAPI presence in North America

Some of the cast in the new series 'Pachinko.'

Today should be quite a day for all those interested in AANHPI representation in Hollywood. It's an unprecedented moment as four AANHPI-centric projects -- one feature  film, a documentary and two TV series -- are being launched Friday, March 25.

Pachinko

Topping the list of AANHPI-centric entertainment vehicles is the highly anticipated dramatic series, Pachinko, which follows the sweeping saga of a Korean family from its humble beginnings in a Korean village to wealth and power in the United States. 

The first season's eight episodes is the first series since 1980's adaptation of the best-selling Shogun to feature a largely Asian cast as lead protagonists. The series has the added potential of altering the AANHPI stereotype in North America -- at least, for a while -- as only a dramatic and emotional journey can accomplish by opening eyes and giving a broader three-dimensional perception  of Asians than usually presented in American media.

During the multi-generational story line, the series will be presented in Korean, Japanese and English, a first in US television history.

Based on the Min Jin Lee's best seller of the same title, the US production's first three episodes is available on Apple TV today finishing up on April 29.

RELATED: In 2022, Hollywood's doors creak open for AANHPI projects and actors

Poster for 'Everything, Everywhere All At Once starring Michelle Yeoh.

The other projects coming to America's living rooms today include:

Everything, Everywhere All At Once 

Co-directed by Asian Americans Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, the feature film is a hilarious and big-hearted sci-fi action adventure comedy about an exhausted Chinese American woman played by Michelle Yeoh, who can't seem to finish her taxes while being hurtled through multiple dimensions, some dominated by Asians. 

The cast includes Harry Shum Jr. (“Shadowhunters”), Stephanie Hsu (“Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”), Ke Huy Quan (“The Goonies”) and James Hong (“Blade Runner” and a host of other films). Early reviews say its the best work by the ageless Yeoh in her career.

The feature film will debut at select theaters.

An Indian Brit family will shake up 19th century London high society.

Bridgerton (Season 2) 

The surprise hit of 2020, Bridgerton is a romantic period piece which will take an unusual turn of events by changing its focus from the first season's romantic pair of Daphne Bridgerton (Phoebe Dynevor) and Simon Bassett (Regé-Jean Page).

The story on 19th century social mores will focus on the oldest Bridgerton son, Jonathan and his love interest, Kate Sharma played by Simone Ashley. The Sharmas is an Indian Brit family making waves in Britain's high society. Expect a lot of sultry scenes and heavy breathing in the series based on the "Bridgerton" novels of Julia Quinn.

Producer Shonda Rhimes is keeping her vow to diversify her cast with the latest twist, which historically, could have happened since India had been an integral part of the British Empire.

Bridgerton will be available to binge on Netflix.

Olivia Rodrigo gets personal in the documentary about her first concert tour.

Sour. Olivia Rodrigo: driving home 2 u: 

Can we get enough of Olivia Rodrigo? The Filipino American singer, songwriter is featured in a documentary about the making of her debut album "Sour." 

Olivia takes audiences on a familiar road trip from Salt Lake City, where she began writing her triple-platinum Geffen Records debut album “SOUR,” to Los Angeles. Along the way, Rodrigo recounts the memories of writing and creating her record-breaking debut album and shares her feelings as a young woman navigating a specific time in her life. 

Olivia's fans will love the documentary, a glorified video of the singer performing her hits in concert and in scenic areas of the West.

The artist comes across as genuine, a young woman barely a foot's length out of childhood, trying to figure life out. She talks about being a child actor, suffering a fear of failure, being overly critical with herself, and feeling inferior. She mentions the role her dad has played as a truth-teller for her. It would have been nice if the film had incorporated more of her family and friends, and some background to how she trains and improves her craft, to give viewers a more well-rounded view of the performer.

Through new live arrangements of her songs, intimate interviews and never-before-seen footage, audiences will follow her along on a cinematic journey exploring the story of “SOUR.” 

The documentary debuts on Disney+.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news, views and tips from an AAPI perspective, follow @DioknoEd on Twitter.

'Crazy Rich Asians' sequel reportedly underway

The cast of 'Crazy Rich Asians along with author Keven Kwan and director Jon M. Chu.

The log-awaited movie sequel to Crazy Rich Asians is moving forward.

It has been four years since the critically acclaimed movie busted opened the eyes of Hollywood studios. The groundbreaking movie featured an all-Asian and  Asian American cast proving that a white hero is not necessary for a film to succeed at the box office and among critics.

Director Jon M. Chu will return to helm the sequels, which he said earlier that he would shoot the second and third book at the same time.

Based on the second book of the trilogy, "China Rich Girlfriend," will bring back Constance Wu and Henry Golding whose relationship was the centerpiece of the first film.

The second book also examines on the romantic entanglements of Astrid Leong, played by Gemma Chan. 

One of the reasons for the long delay was a pay dispute wherein writer Adele Lim was reportedly earning one-tenth the salary of fellow writer Peter Chiarelli. Chiarelli offered to cut his pay in order to make the pay more equitable but Lim turned down the offer, which she called "generous."

Still miffed that the Warners didn't offer to resolve the pay disparity, even after Chu and cast members wrote in support of Lim's situation, Lim left the project and went on to write the screenplay for the animated Raya and the Last Dragon.

Finally, Anna Wang was brought in to replace Chiarelli and Lim. It will be Wang's first effort on a major feature-length film.

With the delay caused by the pay dispute, the actors went on to other projects. The first task by Chu will be to find a time when the in-demand cast members Golding, Chu, Awkwafina, Michelle Yeoh, Gemma Chan and others will be available to film the second and third books, "Rich China Girlfriend" and "Rich People's Problems," written by Kevin Kwan.

With the success of Crazy Rich Asians, a slew of films with Asian American leads and themes were greenlighted by Hollywood Studios, many of them starring the cast of the movie.

Roles for the cast came rolling in. In the interim, Golding was particularly busy with leading roles in Last Christmas, The Gentlemen, Snake Eyes, Monsoon, and G.I. Joe.

Awkwafina starred in Shang Chi: The Legend of the 10 Rings, The Farewell, Oceans Eight, Raya and the Last Dragon, Jumanji: the Next Level and a TV sitcom, Awkwafina Is Nora From Queens.  

Constance Wu, Michelle Yeoh, Gemma Chan, Ken Jeong, Sonoya Mmizuno, Jimmy O. Yang, Harry Sum Jr., Ronny Chieng, and Nico Santos also kept busy with their numerous projects.

No date has been set for filming or a general release of the sequel has been announced.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news, views and tips, from an AAPI perspective, follow @DioknoEd on Twitter.

In 2022, Hollywood doors creak open for Asian American content

The commercial and artistic success of 2018's 'Crazy Rich Asians' is credited with opening Hollywood's eyes and doors to the rich potential of Asian and Asian American talent and stories.

2022 could be a landmark year for AAPI representation in the history of filmmaking and TV production.

There are signs that Hollywood* is turning the corner in recognition of the changing demographics of the movie-going audience with a handful of Asian American theme movies in various stages of production.

The surprise hit of the winter season is Fox series The Cleaning Lady. The strong audience ratings and critical acclaim may be opening some eyes and minds of Hollywood's decision makers that the US audience may be more accepting of diverse fare and actors than previously assumed.

Whether this apparent willingness to tell AAPI stories and star AAPI characters is a permanent trend or just a merely a fad is something only time will tell.

The list might appear to be a lot of shows but when you consider Hollywood churns out hundreds of projects, many of them clunkers, the recommendations below represent just a small, small fraction of the productions. Reports about Hollywood diversity by USC and UCLA still say the vast majority of Hollywood's products are still directed at a  white audience starring white leads and AAPI representation is still lacking.

Still, what we have now is a vast improvement from just four years ago when Asian August, which premiered Crazy Rich Asians, the Every Boy I Ever Loved franchise and the John Cho starrer Searching, broke open the proverbial dam for AAPI talent in front and behind the camera. With over two dozen features and series, 2022 has the potential to be a historic year in terms of Asian representation in North American pop culture.

Have AANHPI arrived in Hollywood, the world's entertainment production capitol? Well, not quite, but the studio door is creaking open.

What's noteworthy is that many of the productions are driven by AAPI creators, from Dwayne Johnson, Daniel Dae Kim, Mindy Kaling, Miranda Kwok, Dean Devlin, Dan Lin to Awkwafina. Instead of waiting around for handouts from Hollywood studios, these writers, producers and directors are taking the bull by the horns and launching their own productions.

The problem is, despite the unprecedented output by AAPI artists, we're still at the stage where projects with AAPI themes and actors can't afford any clunkers. One bad showing and Hollywood could quickly back off on their tepid effort to diversify their output.

For those AAPI viewers looking for movies or TV series that you can identify with, here are some of the current and upcoming projects** (in no particular order) that might be of interest:

Pachinko: Based on the best-selling novel of the same name, Pachinko follows four generations of a Korean immigrant family through Korea, Japan, and the U.S. during the Japanese Occupation, World War II, and after. The saga presents a harrowing take on racism, imperialism, and immigration wrapped in a forbidden love story. Told in Korean, Japanese and English, the first three episodes will debut March 25, on Apple TV+ followed by weekly releases until April 29. Production company is Steven Spielberg's Amblin' Studios.

Kung Fu (Season 2): Kung Fu (not the David Carradine-led version) returns for another season. Set in present day San Francisco, it features an attractive cast, including Olivia Liang, Shannon Dang, Eddie Liu and the Tzi Ma as the father of the Shen family. As the title suggests: lots of martial arts featured and smart contemporary banter between the characters. The Shen's and allies continue to seek the magical artifacts that give great power to whoever possesses them. Season 2 premieres March 9, 9 p.m. on the CW network.

The Cleaning Lady: Fox got one of its highest-rated shows in this production with creator Miranda Kwok as executive producer along with Filipino Canadian Shay Mitchell (Pretty Little Liars). Launched in January, the series stars Cambodian French actress Elodie Yung as a doctor who leaves her medical practice in the Philippines to seek treatment for her son who suffers from an auto-immune disease. Along the way, she seeks employment as a cleaning lady but gets involved with the Las Vegas underworld. The Cleaning Lady is precedent-setting by telling stories from the POV of the undocumented immigrants and starring Southeast Asian actors. The series airs Mondays on Fox, 9 p.m., but past episodes can be streamed on Hulu. 

Tokyo Vice: HBO Max announced that the new crime drama miniseries will debut April 7 with 2 episodes on the network. The series, a co-production with Endeavor Content and Japanese broadcaster Wowow, is based on the 2009 memoir of the same name by Jake Adelstein, an American journalist who moved to Japan to cover the Tokyo police force. Ansel Elgort stars as Adelstein, with Ken Watanabe, Rinko Kikuchi, Rachel Keller, Ella Rumpf, Hideaki Ito, Show Kasamatsu and Tomohisa Yamashita rounding out the ensemble.

Turning Red: An animated feature from Pixar Studios directed by Domine Shi (Bao), tells the rare story of growing up from the viewpoint of 13-year old Asian Canadian, brash, self-confident, who dares to pursue her own ambition of establishing girl band but still retaining the love for her elders and heritage. Some of the voice actors include veteran actors Sandra Oh and James Hong and introduces Roslie Chiang as the central character.  Turning Red premieres March 11 after which it is can be streamed  on Disney+.

Easter Sunday: Stand-up comedian Jo Koy plays a man returning home for an Easter celebration with his riotous, bickering, eating, drinking, laughing, loving family in this love letter to his Filipino American community. Starring in Easter Sunday are Jimmy O. Yang, Tia Carrere, Brandon Wardell, Tony nominee Eva Noblezada, Lydia Gaston, Asif Ali, Rodney To, Eugene Cordero, Jay Chandrasekhar, Tiffany Haddish and Lou Diamond Phillips. The release date was originally going to be around the Easter holiday but has been moved to August 5.

The Fabulous Filipino Brothers: This film starring the four Basco brothers and their sister has been kicking around the film festivals for over a year. The comedy gives a rare peek at the sometimes complicated and not-so-subtle (but always loving) relationships in a Filipino American family as they prepare for an upcoming wedding. The Basco siblings, Dante, Derek, Dion, Darion and Arianna, star in the fictional movie about a rollicking, raucous and loving family. It also features Liza Lapira (The Equalizer) and introduces Philippine star Solenn Hausaff to Western audiences. The feature just started streaming on Amazon Prime, Vudu, Youtube, and Apple+.

Ms. Marvel: Ms. Marvel is an upcoming American web television series, based on the Marvel Comics superheroine of the same name, not to be confused with Captain Marvel, a different superheroine altogether. It is the 20th television series in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It stars newcomer, Indian American actress Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan and Ms. Marvel. With a strong Indian American influene, it also stars Aramis Knight, Saagar Shaikh, Rish Shah, Zenobia Shroff, Mohan Kapur, Matt Lintz, Yasmeen Fletcher, Laith Naki, Azher Usman, Travina Springer and Nimra Bucha. The series is produced by Marvel Studios and will be released on Disney+ this summer.

Josep: A half-hour sitcom starring the busiest Asian American comedian in Hollywood, Jo Koy (See "Easter Sunday" above.) Koy will play a divorced single-father nurse navigating the dating the world with the assistance of his wacky Filipino American family and friends. The series has deep AAPI roots: The sitcom will be penned by Steve Joe (Doogie Kamealoha M.D.,Young Sheldon), while Kourtney Kang (Fresh Off The Boat), Jake Kasdan and Melvin Mar (Jumanji: The Next Level), and actor Randall Park (WandaVision) will executive produce alongside Koy. Set to premiere on ABC sometimes later this year.

Concepción: FilAm actor Reggie Lee (Grimm) is one of the first "name" actors signed onto this underworld crime series that takes place in Los Angeles' Historic Filipinotown over a 28-year span, 1992-2020. It seeks to examine the world of an Asian American "godfather"-like figure, a world of drugs and money, but also heritage and pride, viewed through origins, history, choices and consequences. Filipino American fingerprints all over this series, still in pre-production, with Yellow Rose and Lingua Franca co-producer Jeremiah Abraham and ABS-CBN and from creator Craig Obligación Wilson. No debut date announced yet.

Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens (Season 2): Starring the now acclaimed actress Awkwafina, aka Nora Lum, the sitcom is loosely based on the actress' real live in Queens, NYC before she became famous and an in-demand. Besides Awkwafina (Crazy Rich Asians, The Farewell), the series cast includes the rest of her TV family, SNL's Bowen Yang, Broadway's BD Wong and Lori Tan Chinn, who as the grandmother, is a scene stealer. The series has also been an opportunity for AAPI guest stars including Margaret Cho, Simu Liu, Harry Shum, Jr., and Ross Butler. A third season has not. been announced but, in the meantime, the first two seasons of the highly rated series is available on Comedy Central.

Everything, Everywhere All At Once: Directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, the feature film is a hilarious and big-hearted sci-fi action adventure about an exhausted Chinese American woman played by Michelle Yeoh, who can't seem to finish her taxes while being hurtled through multiple dimensions, some dominated by Asians. Cast includes Harry Shum Jr. (“Shadowhunters”), Stephanie Hsu (“Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”), Ke Huy Quan (“The Goonies”) and James Hong (“Blade Runner” and a host of other films). The film is set to debut on March 25.

Almost Paradise (Season 2): FilAm producer Dean Devlin announced that his fledgling crime series has been picked up for a second season. Shot entirely in Cebu, Philippines, Almost Paradise follows Alex Walker (Christian Kane), a former U.S. DEA agent who, after his partner’s betrayal and a life-threatening battle with hypertension, is forced into early retirement and relocates to a Cebu, Philippines. Besides its exotic locale, the series also stars Filipino talent Samantha Richelle and Arthur Acuña, as his partners in crime0fighting. After production halts because of COVID-19, the series' return to Amazon (Prime) has not been announced.

Sour. Olivia Rodrigo: driving home 2 u: Can we get enough of Olivia Rodrigo? The Filipino American singer, songwriter is featured in a documentary about the making of her debut album "Sour." Olivia takes audiences on a familiar road trip from Salt Lake City, where she began writing her triple-platinum Geffen Records debut album “SOUR,” to Los Angeles. Along the way, Rodrigo recounts the memories of writing and creating her record-breaking debut album and shares her feelings as a young woman navigating a specific time in her life. Through new live arrangements of her songs, intimate interviews and never-before-seen footage, audiences will follow her along on a cinematic journey exploring the story of “SOUR.” The doc debuts March 25 on Disney+.

Fistful of Vengeance: The movie released this month is the followup to the 2020 TV series Wu Assassins. Iko Uwais returns as Kai Jin, the last Wu Assassin. He is joined by Lewis Tan and Jason Tobin. The locale moves from San Francisco to Bangkok as the trio of crime fighters battle the Chinese Triad for the pursuit of ancient powers. Lots of martial arts, spectacular fight choreography. The movie is currently available on Netflix.

Umma: If you're a Sandra Oh (Killing Eve, The Chair) fan (OK, I confess.) or into the horror genre, this is one film you can't miss. "Umma" is Korean for mother. Amanda (Sandra Oh) and her daughter are living a quiet life on an American farm, but when the remains of her estranged mother arrive from Korea, Amanda becomes haunted by the fear of turning into her own mother. Written and directed by Iris Shim. The movie is distributed by Sony and release is slated for March 18.

Nope: A horror/science fiction flick starring Steven Yuen (Minari, The Walking Dead), along with Daniel Kaluuya, Keke Palmer. Caretakers at a California horse ranch encounter a mysterious force that affects human and animal behaviour. Written and directed by Jordan Peele (Get Out). Nope is set to be released in theaters July 22 from Universal Pictures.

Moonshot: Lana Condor (To All The Boys I Ever Loved) leads the cast of this romantic comedy with a sci-fi twist, is set in a future where Mars is terraformed and colonized by the best humanity has to offer two very different college students wind up joining forces and sneak onboard a space shuttle to the red planet in order to be united with their significant others. Condor's co-star is Riverdale's Cole Sprouse. Release date is March 31 on HBO Max.

Bridgerton will be more colorful in Season 2.

Bridgerton (Season 2): The surprise hit of 2020, Bridgerton is a romantic period piece with a change of focus. Jonathan Bailey, who plays Anthony Bridgerton will take the lead alongside potential love interest Kate Sharma, played by Simone Ashley. The Sharma's is an Indian Brit family that shakes up London high society, thus fulfilling Shonda Rhimes' vow to diversify casting. Bridgerton returns March 25 on Netflix.

Mythic Quest (Season 2): I include this Apple+ series in its second season solely on the sterling performance of lead actress Charlotte Nicdao, a Filipino Austrialian who steals every scene she's in. She's proving to be an outstanding comedic actress in a well-written series that doesn't get enough attention and credit from the AAPI entertainment establishment because the series is not on a broadcast network. Her racial heritage is not a central focus of the series but when she sings a Tagalog lullaby in Episode 8, well I almost fell out of my seat. Seasons 1 & 2 are available for binging on Apple+.

Killing Eve (Season 4): This will be the final season for  the critically acclaimed Killing Eve, which has garnered Emmy nominations for its stars, Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer. Comer won the Best Actress Emmy in 2020. Oh was nominated (and should have won) in 2019. The cat-and-mouse game and complicated relationship between the driven British Inspector Eve Polastri (Oh) and the mentally unbalanced Russian assassin Villanelle  (Comer) has captivated audiences for four years. The series premieres Feb. 27 on BBC America and available for streaming on AMC+.

PEN15: The coming-of-age storyline is about two friends played by Anna Konkle and Emma Erskine, who also the serie's creators and writers. The actresses play two middle-school students who maneuver their way through the pitfalls that befall students at that awkward age. Even though they are much older than the characters they play, they are able to pull it off. A lot of Asian Americans will recognize the touchy issues faced by the lead teen characters. Some of the episodes confront the racism directed at Erskine's Japanese American character. Unfortunately, this is the last season for the series. It is bingeable on Hulu.

Young Rock (Season 2). The NBC sitcom follows the adventures of a young Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, a Samoan Black American and one of the most popular stars in the world. It follows the young Rock as a pre-teen, a teenager and a young adult during his time as a professional football player. One of the most fun aspects of the show is bringing in stories about some of WWF's old guard including Andre the Giant, The Iron Sheik and Randy Savage. As of Feb. 22, NBC announced the third season will premiere in January, 2023. The first two seasons can be streamed on Amazon Prime.

NCIS: Hawaii: The TV series stars a host of AAPI actors including lead, Filipino American Vanessa Manillo Lachkey, Yasmine al-bustami, Alex Tarrant, Jason Antoon and Noah Mills. As the title suggests, the setting is Hawaii with strong references to the local culture and the racial origins of each of the characters. Lachkey plays team leader Jane Tennant, who is also a single mom of two hapa children, who she helps navigate through the current era of anti-Asianism. The first season airs on Mondays, 9 p.m. on CBS; also available on Paramount for you bingers. Although it has performed strongly in its time slot, a second season has not been announced. Binge on Paramount.

Never Have I Ever (Season 3), Netflix renewed the sitcom  created by Mindy Kaling and Lang Fisher and why not? It is one of Netflix's most successful series around the world. The series is loosely based on the experiences that Kaling had in her own youth. Will Devi pick hapa jock Paxton Hall-Yoshida played. by Darren Barnet or brainy white guy Ben Gross played by Jaren Lewison? Oh, the tribulations of high school from an AAPI POV. Filming Season 3 just wrapped this month. Netflix hopes to launch the hit show's third season in late Spring or early Fall of 2022.

Doogie Kamealoha, MD: A fresh take on the old Doogie Howser, MD series. Lahela "Doogie" Kamealoha is a teenaged wunderkind juggling her high school life with an early medical career. There are strong bones to this series.The sit-com was created by Kourtney Kang, who executive produced Fresh Off the Boat. It stars Disney veteran Peyton Elizabeth Lee (Andi Mack), who plays the title character, who struggles being a normal teenager and a super-smart physician. Some of the AAPI supporting cast include Comedy Central's Ronnie Chieng, Randall Park, and Jason Scott Lee and a host of cameo appearances of veteran actors, including Amy Hill and Margaret Cho. Doogie is available on Disney+.

Squid Games (Season 2): The second season of Netflix's most watched series, the science fiction/horror story about the deadly game of paying off huge debts hasn't even begun taping yet and was originally scheduled for a 2023 release. However, with its recently won three SAG acting awards, pressure may be on to hurry up production for a late 2022 release.

* I use "Hollywood" as a generic term for entertainment production, which could originate in London, Toronto, Vancouver, New York or Atlanta)

**In compiling this list, I stuck to those projects premiering or underway in 2022, staying away from productions set in 2023 or finished in 2021. I also stayed away from products where AAPI actors are secondary characters. I tried to stay away fro foreign productions, but Bridgerton and Squid Games are just too big to ignore. It is not meant to be a complete list. 

EDITOR'S NOTE: On Feb. 25, added 'Killing Eve,' and "Umma" to the list. On March 7, added "Kung Fu" and "Turning Red." On March 22, "Moonshot" waa added. For additional commentary, news and views from an AAPI perspective, follow @DioknoEd. on Twitter