PETALING JAYA, Sept 5 — Malaysian-born Los Angeles-based scriptwriter Adele Lim has exited from production of planned sequels of Crazy Rich Asians over a pay dispute, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The US entertainment magazine reported that Lim walked out on the upcoming sequels by Warner Bros because co-writer Peter Chiarelli was paid significantly more than her.
Director Jn M. Chu had hoped to retain the creative team but Lim, who co-wrote last year’s box office success, is no longer involved in the two films that are slated to filmed back-to-back.
“Being evaluated that way can't help but make you feel that is how they view my contributions,” Lim told The Hollywood Reporter.
She added that women and people of colour are often viewed as “soy sauce,” hired for their knowledge in cultural specificities to enhance a screenplay instead of being credited for substantially crafting the narrative.
While Lim did not provide specific figures pertaining to the wage disparity, sources are claiming Warner Bros’ initial offers for Chiarelli ranged between US$800,000 (RM3.4 million) to US$1 million (RM4.2 million) and Lim’s starting offer was around US$110,000 (RM460,000).
Lim’s representatives were told by Warner that the industry-standard quotes are based on experience.
Chiarelli is a seasoned feature writer who made his name with the 2009 romantic comedy The Proposal and while Crazy Rich Asians was the feature film debut for Lim, despite being a veteran television series scriptwriter.
According to the report, one of the production companies for the film, Color Force, spent five months searching for writers of Asian descent to replace Lim after a deal made last year fell through.
In February, the producers offered Lim a deal that was closer to Chiarelli’s salary, but Lim said no.
Chiarelli meanwhile had also volunteered to split his fee with Lim.
“Pete has been nothing but incredibly gracious, but what I make shouldn't be dependent on the generosity of the white-guy writer,” she said.
“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 movies, which women of colour would never have been (hired for).
“There’s no realistic way to achieve true equity that way.”
Meanwhile, the sequels for Kevin Kwan’s bestsellers — 2015’s China Rich Girlfriend and 2017’s Rich People Problems — have been moving slowly and filming is only expected to commence at the end of 2020.
Chu who is writing with Chiarelli said he wants to focus on getting the story right instead of the timeline of releasing the films.
Gemma Chan, Henry Golding and Awkwafina who starred in last year’s Asian-centric rom-com which was set in Singapore are said to reprise their roles for the sequels.
The film grossed US$238.5 million (RM1 billion) worldwide and was lauded for its representation of Asians in pop culture and the industry.
