Adele Lim is a Malaysian screenwriter, producer, and director. She is best known for being a co-writer on Crazy Rich Asians, the first film by a major Hollywood studio to feature a majority cast of Asian descent in a modern setting since The Joy Luck Club in 1993, and Raya and the Last Dragon in 2021, an animated fantasy adventure inspired by Southeast Asian culture. She also directed and produced the 2023 comedy Joy Ride.
Lim was born in Malaysia[1] and is of Malaysian Chinese descent.[2] She attended Malaysia's Sri Aman Girls School in Petaling Jaya, in Petaling District, in the state of Selangor. She started writing as a teenager and undergraduate in the lifestyle section of a local daily.[3] She graduated from Emerson College in Boston with a degree in TV/film in 1996 and currently resides in Los Angeles, California.[4][5]
Lim started her career as a script coordinator for Xena: Warrior Princess,[2] getting the job despite her resume being, as she described, "nonexistent".[6] She has written for TV series such as One Tree Hill, Life Unexpected, Reign, Star-Crossed, Private Practice and Lethal Weapon.
In 2018, Lim was the co-screenwriter for the 2018 movie Crazy Rich Asians.[7][2] Director Jon M. Chu asked her to rewrite the existing screenplay. In her rewrite she notably added the climactic scene of mahjong between Constance Wu and Michelle 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 film Raya and the Last Dragon, which released in 2021. She served as screenwriter alongside Qui Nguyen.[11]
In her feature directorial debut, Lim directed and produced comedy film Joy Ride, starring Ashley Park, Sherry Cola, Stephanie Hsu, and Sabrina Wu.[12] The movie premiered at SXSW in March 2023.[13]
She has given support to young writers as mentor and speaker for the Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment (CAPE).[14]
In 2024, Variety reported that she signed on to direct The Princess Diaries 3 with Anne 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 | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
