Remember when Crazy Rich Asians became one of Hollywood's book-to-screen adaptations? It turned into a phenomenon in the summer of 2018 when the romantic comedy featuring an all-Asian cast became the highest-grossing movie in the genre in the 2010s. For years, we've been waiting to hear about the sequel, and we finally, officially have a follow-up set to start production in 2027. It's unexpected, but I'm so happy it's happening.
How The Crazy Rich Asians Followup Is Finally Happening
Warner Bros. Television just put out a press release that a Crazy Rich Asians streaming series will be coming to those with an HBO Max subscription in the near future. It will follow the events of the beloved romantic comedy and is confirmed to star Constance Wu, Henry Golding, Ronny Chieng and Michelle Yeoh back in their roles. Plus, the movie's co-writer Adele Lim is set to showrun and executive produce the series alongside Crazy Rich Asian author Kevin Kwan, Nina Jacobson, Brad Simpson, and the movie's director Jon M. Chu. Here's what Lim had to say in the announcement:
It’s a CRAZY RICH family reunion! This series is the sequel we’ve been waiting for, but instead of just one movie, we get eight episodes to delve into the characters and worlds of Kevin Kwan’s brilliant books. Getting to work with the original creative team with the support and vision of HBO and Warner Bros. Television has been a dream. Our writers room is humming and we can’t wait to share what we’ve come up with.
It wasn't specified if the series will cover the events of both China Rich Girlfriend and Rich People Problems, but having the author on board is definitely a good sign for fans of the trilogy of books. Chu also said this of the Crazy Rich Asians follow-up that's long been in the making:
Finally, I get to answer the question I’ve been asked almost every day for eight years: ‘When are we getting the sequel?’ Well… bok bok bitch, we’re back.
If you've been following along all these years, you probably know that Crazy Rich Asians' sequel was greenlit not long after the movie's blockbuster success. But then, the project was stalled due to a pay disparity controversy between co-writers Peter Chiarelli and Adele Lim. Then, over the years, we've heard multiple updates about a sequel that never came to pass. This ultimately sounds like the best-case scenario, considering most of the talent that made the original a sensation are all back together.
Why I'm Surprised It's A TV Show
Look, I'm all for any property based on a book to be turned into a TV show. It just gives audiences more time to see the characters' plotlines develop, and there's definitely a lot of characters to explore in Crazy Rich Asians. But given the first movie was one of the few romantic comedies to break big among moviegoers, I must say I'm surprised Warner Bros. decided to go this route.
Though, it does seem like this route was the one that all the original creatives opted for, and I'm excited to see it once it's out, and I'm so happy this Crazy Rich Asians reunion is finally, actually in the works. For real. Now we have to wait and see if Awkwafina, Gemma Chan, Harry Shum Jr and more of the original cast will also join, too.
