Anna May Wong Biopic in the Works
Hollywood’s first Chinese American movie star Anna May Wong will be getting a biopic, based on Graham Russell Gao Hodges’ biography Anna May Wong: From Laundryman’s Daughter to Hollywood Legend. Gemma Chan and producer Nina Yang Bongiovi are teaming with Working Title Films to develop the project. Gemma Chan, who starred in Eternals and Crazy Rich Asians, will play the role of the golden age icon, and she will also executive produce. “Anna May Wong was a trailblazer, an icon and a woman ahead of her time,” Chan said in a statement. “Her talent and her exploration of her art both in and outside of the U.S. was groundbreaking — and the challenges and prejudice she faced in the early 20th century as an actress speak directly to the conversations and the world we are navigating today.”
Garment Worn by Colin Firth in Pride and Prejudice to Go on Show at Jane Austen’s House
In the 1995 BBC adaptation of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy emerges from a lake, with his white shirt soaking wet. Now, starting this Saturday, fans will be able to get a closeup view of Firth’s famous white shirt. The shirt is the centerpiece of an exhibition opening at Jane Austen’s House in Chawton, Hampshire. The exhibition is called Jane Austen Undressed, and it focuses on the undergarments that Austen heroines would have worn under their Regency dresses. Still, one of the main draws of the exhibition will likely be the Firth shirt. “I think people will be excited to see it in the flesh and hopefully no one will go up and hug it,” curator Sophie Reynolds said. “As a 30-something I am excited, I have to say. Most women of my generation seem to be Pride and Prejudice fans. The BBC version really has converted a whole generation, especially young women, to Jane Austen.”
Read an Excerpt from Ashley Poston’s Adult Debut
YA author Ashley Poston is releasing her adult debut novel The Dead Romantics on June 28th. If you can’t wait until then, Entertainment Weekly has an excerpt of the upcoming novel available to read right now. The story follows Florence Day, a ghostwriter for a prolific romance writer. Florence has a deadline looming, and things get even more complicated when she has to return to her small town to deal with the death of her father. The last thing she would expect to find there is her new editor. Especially when he shows up as a ghost. Still, Florence can’t help but develop feelings for the handsome ghost, even if he is dead.
The Censorship Story I Can’t Tell You: This Week’s Censorship News
The disaster unfolding at Anchorage Public Library and the rest of this week’s book censorship news.