Bestselling author R.F. Kuang’s satirical novel Yellowface has been acquired by Lionsgate Television, who plan to transform it into a TV series. The project has tapped Karyn Kusama (Jennifer’s Body, Yellowjackets) as both director and executive producer, with Hustlers actress Constance Wu also producing.
According to an exclusive reveal from Variety, Kuang’s novel was optioned by Lionsgate TV with ongoing plans to adapt it as a scripted series. Although an official writer is not yet attached to the project, Kusama is slated to direct following her Emmy nomination for Showtime’s Yellowjackets. Wu will join as a producer alongside Captive Entertainment — known for the Jason Bourne franchise — and Justine Suzanne Jones of Tempo Wubato Productions.
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Originally published in 2023, Kuang’s novel was an instant hit, landing on the New York Times bestseller’s list for seven weeks following its debut. The book has been described as a satire of racial diversity in the publishing industry, and tells the story of author June Hayward, who steals her recently deceased literary rival’s unpublished manuscript about Chinese laborers during WWI and passes it off as her own. Stylizing herself as “Juniper Song” to complete her charade of ethnic ambiguity, June finds unprecedented success with the stolen novel, but is forced to take increasingly drastic measures to protect the secret of her true identity.
Reviews of Yellowface have praised its timely critique of issues like cultural appropriation and white privilege in the publishing industry. Arts and culture writer Keishel Williams of NPR states:
“The story is a multi-layer, complex conversation that tackles a few things about the publishing industry at once. The topic of cultural appropriation galvanizes the entire story and at various angles challenges the idea of what kind of stories writers are allowed to write given their race, gender, sexual orientation, etc.”
A Star-Studded Cast to Bring Kuang’s Work to the Small Screen
Perhaps best known for her comedy-horror feature Jennifer’s Body in 2009, Kusama has breathed life into a diverse array of genres. Her most recent success story, Yellowjackets, follows a team of high school girls soccer players who find themselves stranded in the wilderness after a plane crash, and devolve into cannibalistic clans as they cling to survival. However, Kusama was snubbed in 2022 after her upcoming Dracula adaptation — told from the perspective of Mina Harker — was canceled right before production. Fortunately, working with Kuang’s novel offers another chance for Kusama to focus on book-to-screen adaptations, while continuing to tell the mostly female-driven stories that have become her expertise.
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Although only credited as a producer so far, it’s likely that Constance Wu will also pick up an acting role in the upcoming Yellowface series. Her repertoire includes highly successful projects like Crazy Rich Asians and Hustlers, but her experience as an Asian-American actress in Hollywood also adds an important perspective to the issues depicted in Kuang’s novel. Most recently, Wu has lent her talents to Scott McGehee and David Siegal’s The Friend, another book-to-screen adaptation released this past summer following an author who adopts the dog of her late friend and mentor.
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