Jon M. Chu, the director of the hit film Crazy Rich Asians and its upcoming sequel, is breaking his silence on screenwriter Adele Lim‘s salary dispute with the studio.
Adele, who co-wrote the first film, has decided not to participate in the sequel after she was offered significantly less money than her co-writer Peter Chiarelli.
THR reportedly that the offers were $800,000 to $1 million for Peter and $110,000+ for Adele.
“When I discovered she was unhappy with the initial offer, the producers, myself and studio executives leapt into action to ensure we got to a place of parity between the two writers at a significant number. It was both educational and powerful to hear all facets of the debate. Unfortunately by the time we came up with several different ways to satisfy everyone’s needs, a lot of time had passed and she declined the offer,” Jon wrote in an open letter posted on his Twitter account. “These things happen in negotiations, and I’m proud that she was able to stand up for her own measure of worth and walk away when she felt like she was being undervalued.”
Jon says he will definitely work with Adele in the future and he’s still leaving the door open for her to rejoin the Crazy Rich Asians sequel. He also asked fans to not attack Peter Chiarelli.
“The door is always open for Adele and if there’s another shot at making it work I know we are all for it but that’s a personal and private conversation between ourselves,” he wrote.
Click inside to read the full open letter from Jon M. Chu… More Here! »