Adele Lim | |
|---|---|
 Lim at the 2013San Diego Comic-Con | |
| Born | (1975-08-15)15 August 1975 (age 49) Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia |
| Nationality | Malaysian |
| Education | Emerson College |
| Occupation(s) | Screenwriter, Producer |
| Known for | Crazy Rich Asians Raya and the Last Dragon Joy Ride |
Adele Lim (born 15 August 1975) is a Malaysianscreenwriter,producer, anddirector. She is best known for being a co-writer onCrazy Rich Asians, the first film by amajor Hollywood studio to feature a majority cast of Asian descent in a modern setting sinceThe Joy Luck Club in 1993, andRaya and the Last Dragon in 2021, an animated fantasy adventure inspired bySoutheast Asian culture. She also directed and produced the 2023 comedyJoy Ride.
Lim was born inMalaysia[1] and is ofMalaysian Chinese descent.[2] She attendedMalaysia's Sri Aman Girls School inPetaling Jaya, inPetaling District, in the state ofSelangor. She started writing as a teenager and undergraduate in the lifestyle section of a local daily.[3] She graduated fromEmerson College inBoston with a degree in TV/film in 1996 and currently resides inLos Angeles, California.[4][5]
Lim started her career as a script coordinator forXena: Warrior Princess,[2] getting the job despite her resume being, as she described, "nonexistent".[6] She has written for TV series such asOne Tree Hill,Life Unexpected,Reign,Star-Crossed,Private Practice andLethal Weapon.
In 2018, Lim was the co-screenwriter for the 2018 movieCrazy Rich Asians.[7][2] DirectorJon M. Chu asked her to join the writing team in order to reflect more cultural authenticity in the screenplay. She rewrote the third act, including adding the climactic scene of mahjong betweenConstance Wu andMichelle Yeoh's characters.[8] Lim left writing on the sequel, following reports that she was offered significantly less pay (around $110,000) than her male co-writer Peter Chiarelli ($800,000 to $1 million). Warner Brothers defended the offer, citing the difference in experience between the two.[9][10]
Disney recruited Lim to develop the animated feature filmRaya and the Last Dragon, which released in 2021. She served as screenwriter alongsideQui Nguyen.[11]
In herfeature directorial debut, Lim directed and produced comedy filmJoy Ride, starringAshley Park,Sherry Cola,Stephanie Hsu, andSabrina Wu.[12] The movie premiered atSXSW in March 2023.[13]
She has given support to young writers as mentor and speaker for theCoalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment (CAPE).[14]
In 2024, Variety reported that she signed on to directThe Princess Diaries 3 withAnne Hathaway reprising her role.[15]
| Title | Year | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crazy Rich Asians | 2018 | co-writer | Nominated:Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy[2] |
| Raya and the Last Dragon | 2021 | Nominated:Academy Award for Best Animated Feature | |
| Joy Ride | 2023 | Directorial debut, story writer and producer |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Xena: Warrior Princess | Script Coordinator | Episode: "Punch Lines" |
| 2001 | State of Grace | Script Coordinator | |
| 2001–2002 | Digimon: Digital Monsters | Writer (English Dub) | Seasons 2–4; 20 episodes (English Dub)[16] |
| 2002 | John Doe | Co-Writer | Episode: "Mind Games" |
| 2003–2004 | Las Vegas | Story Editor | 22 episodes; Writer: 3 episodes |
| 2004–2005 | Executive Story Editor | 24 episodes | |
| 2006 | Pepper Dennis | Co-producer | 5 episodes; Writer: 2 episodes |
| 2006–2007 | One Tree Hill | 11 episodes; Writer: "All These Things That I've Done" | |
| 2008 | Producer | 13 episodes; Writer: "Its Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" | |
| 2008–2009 | Life on Mars | Supervising Producer | 17 episodes; Writer: 3 episodes |
| 2010 | Life Unexpected | Consulting Producer | 2 episodes |
| Supervising Producer | 9 episodes | ||
| 2010–2011 | Co-executive Producer | 11 episodes | |
| 2011–2012 | Private Practice | 22 episodes; Writer: 2 episodes | |
| 2012 | Missing | Consulting Producer | 7 episodes; Writer Episode: "The Three Bears" |
| 2014 | Star-Crossed | Executive Producer | 12 episodes; Writer: 2 episodes |
| 2014–2015 | Reign | Co-executive Producer | 22 episodes; Writer: 3 episodes |
| 2016–2017 | Lethal Weapon | 17 episodes; Writer: 2 episodes | |
| 2018 | Dynasty | Writer | Episode: "A Well-Dressed Tarantula" |
| International | |
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| National | |
