New Asian American-led detective show based on Archie Comics’ ‘Jake Chang’ under development by CW

A new Asian American-led TV show set in the world of Archie Comics is currently being developed by The CW Network.

Based on a new character set to be introduced in Archie Comics, the upcoming teen drama “Jake Chang” will be developed by filmmaker Viet Nguyen and writer Oanh Ly.

Ly has been tapped to co-write the script with Nguyen, who will also direct the series. They will also executive produce the show with Daniel Dae Kim and John Cheng through production company 3AD, as well as with Jon Goldwater through Archie Studios and Warner Bros Television.

Described as a noir thriller, “Jake Chang” follows the story of a 16-year-old private investigator who lives in Chinatown and attends an elite private high school.

“Jake Chang” is being developed as a standalone title, with reportedly no plans to tie its characters to “Riverdale,” the 2017 live-action adaptation of Archie Comics.

The character of Jake Chang was first revealed in February after Archie Comics applied for its trademark. It was then announced in April that the character will debut in the “World of Betty & Veronica Jumbo Comics Digest No. 17” via the story “Mystery of the Missing Mermaid” on July 27.

Nguyen and Ly, who had previously worked on “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina,” another Archie Comics-based series, are reportedly seeking to subvert Asian stereotypes in the new show.

“We are so proud and honored to be a part of this new wave of Asian-American content created by and starring Asian-Americans,” Ly and Nguyen said in a statement. “The world of Jake Chang is vast, compelling, and a whole lot of fun. And just like our rascally teen detective, we’re going to lean into the ‘F U’ of the original ‘Fu Chang’ IP and delightfully destroy all familiar tropes and tell a unique Asian-American story.”

Featured Image via Adrian Malec

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