‘Joy Luck Club’ Producer Reveals a Sequel Script Has Been Written 25 Years Later
After watching the movie last week I found this story that there is apparently work being done to produce a sequel, either for a movie or a TV series, with the same cast. The decision is an interesting one, since the film was based on a novel, and the novel doesn’t have a sequel, meaning whatever they intend to do with this project will be to stray away from the author’s original story and try to create new stories with the characters and ideas established by Amy Tan. Seeing a work pulled away from it’s original creator like this always gives me some uneasiness, but there’s still the potential that whatever comes out of it (if anything actually does) could be genuinely good, and the idea of extending the generational themes of the original story to include a third generation is not without merit.
I’m also afraid of this sequel taking it too far away from the original content, or in this case original intent and representation. I’m also nervous about the producer’s openness to making this a television show versus a movie. Unless they make a more cinematic series like Handmaid’s Tale, they may fall in a likelihood of trying to be more comedic or modern way that hides the roots established in the Joy Luck Club for the means of views.
This idea could go many different ways. Personally, from the comment mentioned in the article “The daughters are now mothers and they each have a millennial daughter of their own. … Today’s world versus first, second generations and immigrants.”
I feel that since this is still, at it’s base, the same concept as the original story, it couldn’t be too far off in plot. The fact that it would take place in a more modern setting I think limits it, but that still doesn’t stop the potential for a story as good as, or even better than the original.
How involved is Amy Tan? did she just sell the rights to use her novel again or is she going to be involved with the production to keep her ideals in place?
I looked it up just now and it actually sounds like she was involved in writing a screenplay. Based on this interview anyways. That’s certainly encouraging in terms of keeping to the creator’s wishes.
https://datebook.sfchronicle.com/books/amy-tan-talks-about-a-joy-luck-sequel-her-mother-and-five-minute-planks
Hi Josh,
I think like with all spin-offs and reboots, there will always be a chunk of people that don’t want it, that want the ending to be the ending or others that are willing to buy a subscription to whatever channel or theater they need to go to see it.
The Joy Luck Club will always be the Joy Luck Club and I trust that if the whole crew is returning, the script must be damn good.