Image's The Good Asian Getting TV Show From James Wan's Atomic Monster
Aquaman director James Wan has set his sights on another comic book adaptation, albeit this time in a producer role. Wan's Atomic Monster Productions will produce an adaptation of the Eisner-winning Image Comics miniseries The Good Asian by Pornsak Pichetshote and Alexandre Tefenkgi for MRC. Wan is producing with Michael Clear and Rob Hacket. Will Rowbotham and Luke Maxwell will produce for 3 Arts. The Good Asian is a noir story that follows Edison Hark, described in the Image Comics synopsis as "a haunted, self-loathing Chinese-American detective," on the trail of a killer in 1936 Chinatown. The Chinatown noir tale focuses on the first generation of Americans to grow up under a ban on Chinese immigration as they deal with rampant murders, abusive police, and a change-averse world.
Pitchetshote's previous Image Comics series, Infidel, was previously optioned by TriStar for the feature film treatment, produced by Sugar23. Pitchetshote is now part of the writers' room for HBO Max's upcoming Green Lanterns series. Previously an editor at the now defunct Vertigo imprint of DC Comics, Pitchetshote later became a media editor for DC Entertainment, overseeing television series including Arrow, The Flash, Gotham, iZombie, and Constantine. He has returned to DC to write its current The Sandman Universe series Dead Boy Detectives.
In 2021, ComicBook.com's Christian Hoffer gave The Good Asian #1 a strong 5-out-of-5 review, calling it "one of the strongest debuts of 2021 so far. Not only is the comic a poignant tale on its own, its subject and protagonist are especially striking given recent events. This comic is a reminder of how brutal and racist America has been to Chinese-Americans, while also delivering a great noir mystery that could become an instant classic when completed."
Wan's sequel to Aquaman, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, releases in December. Its unclear if his involvement with DC will continue into the new era of the DC Universe, especially as Wan seems to be leaving Warner Bros behind. Atomic Monster announced plans to merge with low-budget horror darling Blumhouse, and Wan is developing a new horror series for Peacock.
"We are so excited for this adrenalized thriller about a group of people overcoming adversity, that's both entertaining and emotional," said Lisa Katz, President of Scripted Content, NBCUniversal Television and Streaming in a statement about the series. "We know this upcoming drama will be in expert hands with James Wan, E.L. Katz, Ian McCulloch, our partners at UCP, and is sure to be a binge-worthy mystery for Peacock audiences."