A sequel to 1993’sThe Joy Luck Clubis in the works. Original screenwritersAmy TanandRon Bassare developing the belated follow-up, almost thirty years after the seminal Asian-American film hit screens.
Deadline reportsthat the leads from the 1993 original are in talks to reprise their roles.The Joy Luck Clubcentered around the titular club, formed by four Chinese immigrant women living in San Francisco, played byTsai Chin(You Only Live Twice,Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings),Kieu Chinh(Gleaming the Cube,City of Angels),Lisa Lu(The Last Emperor,Crazy Rich Asians),andFrance Nuyen(South Pacific,St. Elsewhere), and their complicated relationships with their own pasts and their Chinese-American daughters, played byRosalind Chao(Star Trek: Deep Space Nine,Mulan),Lauren Tom(Friends,Futurama),Tamlyn Tomita(The Good Doctor,Cobra Kai), andMing-Na Wen(Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,The Book of Boba Fett). The sequel will follow the two groups, who have now become grandmothers and mothers, respectively.“Now more than ever it is important to share authentic stories about the Asian-American experience, and we believe this film will speak to wide audiences with its narrative rooted in humanity and connection,” Says producerAshok Amritraj.
Based on the 1989 bestselling novel by Tan and was directed by celebrated directorWayne Wang. TheOliver Stone-producedThe Joy Luck Clubwas a success with critics and at the box office upon its release in 1993, making nearly 33 million dollars on a ten-million-dollar budget. It also paved the way for subsequent films on the Asian-American experience. In 2020, it was selected for preservation by the Library of Congress' National Film Registry.
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The Joy Luck Clubwas Tan’s first novel; she has since published five others, the most recent of which,The Valley of Amazement, was released in 2013. She also published her memoirs,Where the Past Begins: A Writer’s Memoir, in 2017. Prolific screenwriter, Bass, won an Oscar in 1988 forRain Man; his other projects includeDangerous Minds,My Best Friend’s Wedding,andSnow Falling on Cedars. He recently penned this year’sDakota Johnson-starring adaptation ofJane Austen’sPersuasionfor Netflix.
The film will be produced by Ashok Amritraj andPriya Amritrajfor Hyde Park Entertainment, alongside Tan, Bass andJeff Kleeman(The Change-Up,The Judge,Vacation). Stay tuned to Collider for future updates.
