Interior Chinatown is finally a little closer to seeing the exterior world, because Hulu has officially green-lit a TV adaptation of the Charles Yu novel that won the 2020 National Book Award for Fiction. Per The Hollywood Reporter, Jimmy O. Yang was the first person to enter Interior Chinatown’s TV cast. Marvel director Taika Waititi is reportedly onboard to direct the first episode, and will also serve as an executive producer. Per Deadline, Hulu has ordered ten episodes.
Interior Chinatown follows Willis Wu (Yang), a background actor on a Law & Order–esque cop show called Black & White. Willis dreams of getting to play Kung Fu Guy, but he’s stuck with parts like Striving Immigrant or Oriental Guy Making a Weird Face. After he unintentionally witnesses a crime, he begins to unravel a criminal web in Chinatown that brings up buried family history and allows him to experience what it’s like to be in the spotlight.
Lisa Gilroy and Sullivan Jones will play the lead detectives on show-within-a-show Black & White. While they do the detecting, Willis will be Rosencranz-ing about. Chloe Bennet and Ronny Chieng have also signed on. Bennet, who folks may remember from Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., will play Detective Lana Lee. According to Variety, Lee will be making her debut on the show in Wu’s episode, and representing “everything Willis has dreamed of: success, a possible love interest, and a bigger role in the story.†The Daily Show correspondent Ronny Chieng will play Wu’s best friend Fatty Choi.
Yu’s original book, which was written in the format of a TV script, has reportedly been in development as a TV show since fall 2020. With writing credits on shows like Westworld and Legion, Yu has been put in charge of adapting his work for the small screen. He’ll also serve as the showrunner and an executive producer for the series, so it seems like Hulu wants to be very sure that the author will approve of this adaptation. Hey, that’s always a good idea — we haven’t forgotten how those Percy Jackson movies put Uncle Rick’s work through a meat grinder.
This story has been updated throughout.