‘Crazy Rich Asians’ co-writer leaves sequel over alleged pay disparity

Adele Lim, co-writer of the “Crazy Rich Asians” screenplay, exited plans for the sequel after she allegedly learned Warner Bros. was planning to pay her less than her white male colleague, according to a Wednesday report from The Hollywood Reporter.

“Being evaluated that way can’t help but make you feel that is how they view my contributions,” said Lim, a longtime TV writer.

She told The Hollywood Reporter that she believes that women and people of color often are regarded as “soy sauce,” hired to provide cultural context but not shape the entire story.{mosads}

Lim declined to provide specific salary figures, but the sources told the outlet that she was being offered roughly $110,000 by Warner Bros. Co-writer Peter Chiarelli was reportedly offered between $800,000 and $1 million.

The Hill has reached out to the studio for comment.

Lim’s representatives were allegedly told that the range was the industry standard, based on experience.

Vanity Fair reported that Chiarelli’s background is primarily focused in film, with credits such as “The Proposal” and “Now You See Me 2.” Lin’s background stems from production of television shows like “One Tree Hill,” “Private Practice” and “Reign.”

Color Force, one of the film’s producers, reportedly searched for roughly five months to find another writer of Asian descent to step in for Lim.

Lim was ultimately given a higher offer after Chiarelli volunteered to split his fee with her, bus she says she declined it. 

“Pete has been nothing but incredibly gracious, but what I make shouldn’t be dependent on the generosity of the white-guy writer,” Lim 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 your worth is having established quotes from previous movies, which women of color would never have been [hired for]. There’s no realistic way to achieve true equity that way.”

John Chu directed the 2018 romantic comedy, based on the 2013 novel by Kevin Kwan.

The film became an international blockbuster, opening at No. 1 and earning $238.5 million globally. Warner Bros. announced a sequel that would include material from the next two books in Kwan’s trilogy — “China Rich Girlfriend” and “Rich People Problems.”