In 2019, filmmakerLulu Wangreleased her featureThe Farewell, which quickly grew to become a beloved film across critics and general audiences. Though not her first foray into feature filmmaking,The Farewellshined the spotlight on Wang and her work. Now, Wang is bringing her talents to the small screen with her forthcoming seriesExpats. During this year’sToronto International Film Festival, Wang debuted an episode from the series. As part of the promotion, she stopped by the Collider media studio at MARBL to discuss the series, including revealing that she originally said no to taking it.
When speaking with Collider’sPerri Nemiroff, Wang shared why she initially passed on acceptingExpats, noting that she was intimated by the scale of the project — which is already larger than Wang’s previous feature work just from the format alone. The scope ofExpatswasn’t the only point of uncertainty for Wang. She mentioned the responsibility she felt “in depictinga place like Hong Kong.” Story wise, Wang was nervous she wouldn’t be able to properly portray what life is like for expats or people who are part of the Diaspora: “And the term ‘expats’ is very loaded. It comes with all of these connotations, and I was like, ‘Can I handle that and all of the nuances that come with depicting the world of expats and other people who are people of Diaspora?'”
Wang also mentionedExpatsstarNicole Kidmanas an important driving force for many aspects of the show, first sharing that Kidman is someone Wang was eager to work with. Along with starring in the series, Kidman also executive produces and has been part of the series since the earlier stages. Wang shared that Kidman is a major reasonExpatswas able to move forward: “I think that it wouldn’t have been made without her, and that is the fact of it because my entire team, my collaborators fromThe Farewell, came on to this project, and we haddone a very small $3 million featureabout my grandmother, and to board something of this scope and size and budget, it was incredible that she believed in my vision enough to help make sure that I was supported by the studio, and they did, and I just couldn’t believe it.”
What to Expect From ‘Expats’
Expatsis created, written, directed, showrun, and executive produced by Lulu Wang, adapted from theJanice Y.K. LeenovelThe Expatriates. The series focuses on three women — Margaret (Nicole Kidman), Hilary (Sarayu Blue), and Mercy (Ji-young Yoo) — who all move from the United States to Hong Kong and become connected by a tragic accident that will change their lives forever. The series will explore each of the women’s lives, hitting on topics such as motherhood, community, finding yourself, and more. Many of the episodes will includenon-linear storytelling, with episodes that act as standalones. Additional cast includesJack HustonandBrian Tee.
Expatswill debut early 2024 on Prime Video. Watch Nemiroff and Wang’s full conversation below:
