'Crazy Rich Asians' writer's dilemma illustrates how Hollywood pay gap is alive and well

With a worldwide box office of more than $238 million, "Crazy Rich Asians" was a hit for Warner Bros. and a sequel was inevitable. But a recent story in The Hollywood Reporter has revealed a major hiccup in those plans.

Two people are credited as screenwriters on the original movie, Peter Chiarelli (a white man) and Adele Lim (an Asian woman originally from Malaysia), who adapted the book - the first in a series by author Kevin Kwan.

But as reported by THR, Lim has walked away from the "Crazy Rich Asians" sequel after learning that the studio's initial offer to Chiarelli was in the $800,000 to $1 million range; Lim was offered a fraction of that at "$110,000-plus."

Warner Bros. did not respond to inquiries from the Tribune. And Lim's representative said she was unavailable for further interviews. But the pay gap is so vast - and a high-profile example of systemic inequities that persist in Hollywood - that it warrants a closer look.

WHEN HOLLYWOOD SAYS ONE THING, BUT DOES ANOTHER

"Crazy Rich Asians" was one of the few American-made studio films to tell the story of Asian