Misc. 14

LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - Charlie Chan's No. 1 granddaughter will be taking up the family business.

A long gestating project will star Lucy Liu as the Chinese-American detective's granddaughter in an update of the popular series, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The "Charlie's Angels" actress will also executive produce.

"It's a reinvention of the franchise that credibly passes on the baton to Lucy Liu as the lead character and lead of the franchise," says TV executive-turned-screenwriter Dan McDermott who will write the screenplay for Fox.

Charlie Chan, created by Earl Derr Biggers, became a popular low-budget movie fixture in the '30s and '40s. As a detective for the Honolulu Police Department, Chan (in his signature white fedora and suit) would stumble upon a murder mystery in an exotic locale and solve the case in spite of the bumbling efforts of his No. 1 or No. 2 son.

Today, many decry the films for using Caucasian actors -- such as Warner Oland, Sidney Toler or Roland Winters -- to portray Chan in "yellow face." Also, the older films often perpetuated stereotypes with Chan's mangled take on English-language proverbs such as "Owner of face cannot always see nose" or "Shot in dark sometime find eye of bull."

Besides the numerous early Chan films, a Hanna-Barbera animated series called "The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan" sprang up in the early '70s featuring a mix of Asian voice actors and Jodie Foster as Anne Chan.

Although Liu hasn't been seen on screen since playing the ill-fated O-Ren Ishii in Quentin Tarantino's "Kill Bill, Vol. 1," she's been busy with an upcoming slate that includes Tony Scott's model-turned-bounty hunter film "Domino," the indie drama "3 Needles," the thriller "Lucky Number Slevin," the vampire film "Rise," New Line's comedy "The Cleaner" and indie thriller "Devil to Pay."


		"LUCY LIU JOINS THE CHAN CLAN": iVillage (entertainment.ivillage.com), January 2006 Lucy Liu Joins the Chan Clan LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - Charlie Chan's No. 1 granddaughter will be taking up the family business. A long gestating project will star Lucy Liu as the Chinese-American detective's granddaughter in an update of the popular series, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The "Charlie's Angels" actress will also executive produce. "It's a reinvention of the franchise that credibly passes on the baton to Lucy Liu as the lead character and lead of the franchise," says TV executive-turned-screenwriter Dan McDermott who will write the screenplay for Fox. Charlie Chan, created by Earl Derr Biggers, became a popular low-budget movie fixture in the '30s and '40s. As a detective for the Honolulu Police Department, Chan (in his signature white fedora and suit) would stumble upon a murder mystery in an exotic locale and solve the case in spite of the bumbling efforts of his No. 1 or No. 2 son. Today, many decry the films for using Caucasian actors -- such as Warner Oland, Sidney Toler or Roland Winters -- to portray Chan in "yellow face." Also, the older films often perpetuated stereotypes with Chan's mangled take on English-language proverbs such as "Owner of face cannot always see nose" or "Shot in dark sometime find eye of bull." Besides the numerous early Chan films, a Hanna-Barbera animated series called "The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan" sprang up in the early '70s featuring a mix of Asian voice actors and Jodie Foster as Anne Chan. Although Liu hasn't been seen on screen since playing the ill-fated O-Ren Ishii in Quentin Tarantino's "Kill Bill, Vol. 1," she's been busy with an upcoming slate that includes Tony Scott's model-turned-bounty hunter film "Domino," the indie drama "3 Needles," the thriller "Lucky Number Slevin," the vampire film "Rise," New Line's comedy "The Cleaner" and indie thriller "Devil to Pay."