Chang Can Dunk is an upcoming Disney+ original film from writer and director Jingyi Shao that tells a coming-of-age story with an Asian American hoops twist. Starring Bloom Li, Ben Wang and Zoe Renee, the film focuses on a 16-year-old high school kid who makes a bet that he can dunk a basketball in order to win the respect of his classmates, and more importantly, his crush.
Everybody loves a good coming-of-age story, and based on the trailer, which dropped today, the film looks like a ton of fun, with elements of The Karate Kid and White Men Can’t Jump mixed into a high school setting. Of course, what makes Chang Can Dunk unique is that it features an Asian American protagonist in Chang, played by Bloom Li and a wonderfully diverse cast around him.
Even more rare is the fact that this film looks like it’s going to include a romance between an Asian American boy and a Black girl (Zoe Renee), which we almost never see in Hollywood. It wasn’t that long ago when the ending for Jet Li and Aaliyah in Romeo Must Die was changed from a final kiss to a hug because audiences didn’t respond well to their on-screen romance.
Chang Can Dunk premieres March 10th on Disney+!
“Chang Can Dunk” follows Chang, a 16-year-old, Asian American high school student in the marching band, who bets the school basketball star that he can dunk by Homecoming. The bet leads the 5’ 8″ Chang on a quest to find the hops he needs to dunk in order to impress his crush, Kristy, and finally gain the attention and respect of his high school peers. But before he can rise up and truly throw one down, he’ll have to reexamine everything he knows about himself, his friendships and his family.
Ron is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of POC Culture. He is a big believer in the power and impact of pop culture and the importance of representation in media.
