Crazy Rich Asians Female Co-Writer Exits Sequel After Pay Disparity Dispute: Report
The Crazy Rich Asians sequel has lost one of its writers.
Adele Lim, who cowrote the 2018 box office hit with Peter Chiarelli, has left the project after alleged issues of pay disparity, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
A spokesperson for Warner Bros. did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
THR reported Chiarelli, who broke through with the 2009 Sandra Bullock film The Proposal and has since written Now You See Me 2, was offered a significantly higher amount than Lim, who has several TV writing credits for shows such as Dynasty, Reign, Private Practice and One Tree Hill.
Crazy Rich Asians earned $238 million at the worldwide box office, with a total domestic gross of $174 million.
“Being evaluated that way can’t help but make you feel that is how they view my contributions,” Lim told THR, adding she felt women of color were regarded as “soy sauce” — hired to work on projects solely for cultural specificities on TV and film rather than to substantially shape and tell a story.
THR reported that Lim was offered more money to return for the sequel, with Chiarelli allegedly offering to split his own fee with her, but she turned it down.
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“Peter has been nothing but incredibly gracious, but what I make shouldn’t be dependent on the generosity of the white-guy writer,” Lim told THR. “If I couldn’t get pay equity after CRA, I can’t imagine what it would be like for anyone else, given that the standard for how much you’re worth is having established quotes from previous films, which women of color would never have been [hired for].”
She added, “There’s no realistic way to achieve true equity that way.”
Based on Kevin Kwan’s novels, the next book in the series is China Rich Girlfriend and ends with Rich People Problems. The sequel is currently in the works with Chiarelli writing and Jon M. Chu set to direct.
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While Lim has stepped away from signing on to co-write the sequels, she has signed on to write the upcoming Disney film Raya and the Last Dragon. The story follows a warrior named Raya in a re-imagined Earth, who sets off to find the last dragon.
Awkwafina, who starred in Crazy Rich Asians, is set to star in the upcoming film.
