Everything to know about The CW's Asian-led 'Kung Fu' shot in Vancouver (VIDEO)
Buzzy new drama Kung Fu is set to premiere on April 7 — and it turns out the Asian-led CW show was shot right here in Vancouver.
The CW is no stranger to the city, filming all of the Arrow-verse dramas here, including The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow and Super Girl along with it’s Archie inspired series Riverdale and spin-off Katy Keene.
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Kung Fu stars Olivia Liang as a young Chinese-American woman who drops out of college after a quarter-life crisis and goes to China on a journey of self-discovery.
There, the character of Nicky Shen (Liang) ends up at a monastery where she begins to hone her martial arts skills.
A still from the ‘Kung Fu’ trailer showing Vancouver’s Chinatown. (Credit: The CW)
Upon returning to San Francisco, she finds her hometown overtaken by crime — and decides to use her skills to bring the bad guys to justice.
The series, based on the 1972 original of the same name, also stars Kheng Hua Tan, Shannon Dang, Jon Prasida, Eddie Liu, Gavin Stenhouse, Gwendoline Yeo and Tzi Ma.
Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden in Vancouver makes an appearance in The CW’s ‘Kung Fu’ pilot. (Credit: The CW)
The Hanelle Culpepper (Star Trek: Discovery, Gotham, UnREAL) directed the pilot shot all around Vancouver in March 2020 just ahead of the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown.
@yvrshoots Last night Kung Fu filming at Sun Yat Sen Park in Chinatown #bcfilm pic.twitter.com/tIL3hdMJyM
— Brenda (she/her) (@canadianfrost) October 24, 2020
Some of the sights included in the action packed pilot are the Westin Bayshore Hotel, Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden, and the Chinese Cultural Center.
The two main characters can also be seen taking a stroll through the Chinatown area in one scene.
There’s also quite a badass fight scene on East Pender Street, outside of Chinese Art Crafts.
Kung Fu, shot in Vancouver’s Chinatown / The CW
Vancouverites also spotted production taking place in Yaletown’s David Lam Park as well as Stanley Park’s Pipeline Road last year.
She was Kung Fu fighting.🎵🎶#KungFu in Vancouver's David Lam Park. https://t.co/EmV4ZAYZgB
— Hollywood North Buzz – YVRShoots (@yvrshoots) October 23, 2020
Kung Fu, which is produced by Greg Berlanti (Riverdale), was given a straight-to-series order in May 2020.
The additional nine episodes continued production in the Langley area on Oct. 13. Filming is expected to wrap on April 2, 2021.
The show premieres on The CW on Wednesday, April 7 @ 8 p.m. PST/EST.