Tzi Ma, Rae Dawn Chong, and Irene Wu starred in the Canadian television series Charlie Chan.
Director Ma, known for “Mulan,” “Kung Fu,” and “Interior Chinatown,” will serve as executive producer and star in the title role. Chung, who has appeared in films such as “Interview with the Vampire,” “American Crime Story,” and “The Color Purple,” will play Detective Joyous Green. Wu (“Alien: Romulus”) will play Charlie’s daughter, Fei Chan.
Set in Vancouver, Canada, this modern reinterpretation of the iconic character follows a Hong Kong immigrant who, after a frustrated retirement from the Vancouver Police Department, quietly starts a private investigation firm to take on cases overlooked and forgotten by the city. Quentin Lee and his producing partner Cindy Oh Yong (2024 Canadian Screen Award winner for Comedy Invasion) will produce through their British Columbia-based Margin Films. Lee recently finished Season 3 of Comedy Invasion, also starring Ma, and the feature film The Way You Dance.
“Our series is a bold and necessary reinvention, a proud reimagining of a complex heritage,” Lee and Sager said in a joint statement. “By creating authentic, modern heroes, we are transforming once-offensive cultural caricatures into complex, dignified protagonists for a new generation.”
Chong said he was drawn to the project’s global scope and BIPOC representation, calling it “smart, quirky and very global.” Meanwhile, Marr spoke of the broader imperative of reclaiming culturally appropriated character, saying it was an ideal backdrop given Vancouver’s embrace of multiculturalism. “We have an opportunity to take the lead and give this so-called ‘day player town’ an opportunity to showcase the wealth of our Canadian talent to the world,” said Marr.
Creators and showrunners Quentin Lee and Josh Sager will introduce the package to international buyers at the Series Mania Forum in France as part of Telefilm Canada’s Canada Pavilion. The “Charlie Chan” series was announced at Hong Kong Filmart.
Separately, Lee and Sager will also be unveiling The British Detective, a planned Canadian-British co-production from 2025 International Emmy Award-winning creator Roland Moore, at the Series Mania Forum. This police procedural, set in Victoria, British Columbia, centers on a faded British aristocrat who, after retiring to Vancouver Island, reluctantly teams up with a brilliant Chinese-Canadian detective to solve a series of crimes. Moore most recently served as the head writer for the British YA series Fallen.
