Maybe this is why Ali Wong abruptly quit ABC’s sitcom American Housewife? The comedian/actor has been cast in Amazon Prime Video’s upcoming series adaptation of Brian K. Vaughan and Cliff Chiang’s comic book Paper Girls.
As you can probably imagine (if you’re familiar with the comics), Wong plays “adult Erin.” It was announced last week that young Erin will be played by Riley Lai Nelet (Altered Carbon). See, this is a time travel story and early on, young Erin from the ’80s is transported to like… now, and meets adult Erin and… it’s hilarious!
When the two Erins finally come face-to-face, they are forced to confront the gap between their childhood hopes, dreams, ambitions, and the reality of their grown-up life.
I mean think about teenage you meeting you now. What would that be like? In addition to you not being as successful as you thought you would be, wouldn’t they be dumbfounded by that tiny rectangle in your hand that tells you everything you need to know?! It’s marvelous… at least the comic book was. We’ll see how the TV show turns out, but Amazon’s been doing pretty well lately with its comic adaptations like The Boys and Invincible (which I feel not enough people watched).
Last week, when Lai Nelet’s casting was announced, this description was released for her young version of Erin:
A dutiful daughter, sister, and yes, newly-minted newspaper employee, Erin often feels caught between worlds. On the one hand, she’s a dual-language immigrant with deep Chinese roots, on the other, she’s an All-American kid on the verge of her teenage years who desperately wants the TV-perfect life she often sees depicted in the Western culture all around her.
In addition to Lai Nelet, the younger cast includes Sofia Rosinsky as the main character Mac, Camryn Jones as Tiffany, and Fina Strazza as KJ.
Paper Girls hails from Legendary Television. Stephany Folsom (Toy Story 4) is writing and along with Christopher C. Rogers will serve as co-showrunner. Both will executive produce with Christopher Cantwell. The show is set to begin filming in the Chicago area later this year.
Wong was the first visibly pregnant (seven months) comedian to star in a filmed standup special, 2016’s Baby Cobra. She was named one of Time Magazine‘s 100 Most Influential People in 2020. She wrote, produced, and starred in the Netflix original rom-com Always Be My Maybe opposite Randall Park. She was a writer on the first three seasons of Fresh Off the Boat. Just last year, she appeared in Birds of Prey, and Love Victor, and lent her voice to Onward and Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Candace Against the Universe.
Stay tuned for updates on Paper Girls as they arrive!
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
