‘Kung Fu’ Adds Vanessa Yao, Annie Q. & JB Tadena to Season 2 Cast
The CW reboot of the popular 1970s series Kung Fu is growing its cast for Season 2 — set to premiere March 9 — as Vanessa Yao (Soul Breaker), Annie Q. (The Leftovers), and JB Tadena (Westworld) will appear in recurring roles.
Developed by Christina M. Kim, Kung Fu follows a young Chinese American woman, Nicky Shen (Olivia Liang), who leaves college to join an isolated monastery in China. Returning to America three years later, she uses her martial arts skills and Shaolin values to protect her community from crime and corruption, all while dealing with her estranged family and looking for the assassin who killed her Shaolin mentor.
According to Deadline, Yao is set to play Mia, the enigmatic cousin of Nicky. Mia is a runaway who has been living on her own for years, suspicious of others and capable of amazing strength and reflexes. The daughter of a Guardian and a Warrior, her hybrid bloodline could help in the villainous plan of powerful business mogul Russell Tan (Kee Chan). The question for Nicky is, is Mia an ally or an enemy?
Meanwhile, Annie Q. portrays Juliette Tan, Russell’s clever and conniving daughter. Already experienced in the world of business, Juliette offers her father her full support, eager to prove she can be his successor. However, as Russell’s plans get darker and more disturbing, Juliette will have to decide how far she is willing to go in her quest to take over the family business.
Lastly, Tadena plays Sebastian, the charming new chef at Harmony Dumplings. Sebastian is determined to help Nicky’s parents Jin (Tzi Ma) and Mei-Li (Kheng Hua Tan) keep on top of things following the restaurant’s newfound success. He also captures the attention of Nicky’s estranged brother Ryan (Joe Prasida), with the pair becoming embroiled in a will-they-won’t-they romance.
The series also stars Eddie Liu (Never Have I Ever) as Henry Yan, Shannon Dang (So Foreign) as Althea Shen, Gavin Stenhouse (Skybound) as Evan Hartley, Vanessa Kai (New Amsterdam) as Pei-Ling Zhang, Tony Chung as Dennis Soong, and Yvonne Chapman (Family Law) as Zhilan.
Kung Fu, Season 2 Premiere, March 9, 9/8c, The CW
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