If you're anything like me, once an actor is cast in Star Trek the rest of their career becomes more interesting, so it becomes a fun little game catching up with what they've done previously. Arguably Michelle Yeoh, recently the first-announced cast member of the forthcoming Star Trek Discovery TV series, is the most famous ongoing actor to appear in the franchise. There have been plenty who had a certain profile prior to their casting, such as LeVar Burton's turn in the rating juggernaut Roots, but Yeoh has been appearing in blockbuster movies for years. Here's a primer full of her highlights:
Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) Her breakout Hollywood role was in Pierce Brosnan's second James Bond flick. Yeoh was cast as Bond's counterpart, not as a Bond Girl, making her unique in that franchise's history.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) Yeoh's next big role was in this callback to classic martial arts cinema.
Memoirs of a Geisha (2005) You can see at this point that she'd become a staple in Hollywood's efforts at bringing the Asian experience to a global audience.
Sunshine (2007) Yeoh's first taste of sci-fi was Danny Boyle's mindtrip, which finally took her out of the hole Hollywood had pegged for her.
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008) Her next foray into franchises saw Yeoh both return to Hollywood's image of her as well as expand the Mummy's scope past Egypt for the first time.
Babylon A.D. (2008) This second sci-fi experience saw Yeoh in a more conventional experience than the last one and will probably be one of the more fun experiences her new Star Trek fans will have with her career.
Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011) Yeoh back in her typecast, but this time animated! Also, technically her third franchise experience, making Star Trek Yeoh's fourth, if not for...
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny (2016) Yeah, there was a sequel!
Mechanic: Resurrection (2016) And so yeah, Yeoh has done plenty of franchises.
So far we know Yeoh will be a captain in Discovery, so she won't be the lead character, unless something has changed, because Number One is not a captain. Even if she's not the lead, though, Yeoh will obviously be leading the cast. It would be surprising if the series filled up on name actors, which would be even more atypical for the franchise. But, can we hope for guest performances from her past famous co-stars? Just imagine Vin Diesel in Star Trek!
Did you know the Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon sequel was filmed in New Zealand?
ReplyDeleteAnother reason for me to see it!
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