Bok bok, bitches — Crazy Rich Asians is finally getting a sequel! Only *checks notes* eight years, a couple of back-to-back follow-up movies fallen by the wayside, and an also-unmade spin-off on from the release of Jon M. Chu’s wildly popular, groundbreaking rom-com adaptation of Kevin Kwan’s book, our favourite crazy, rich (and crazy rich) Asians are back back back… only this time, we’re getting eight hour-long helpings. Yes, Crazy Rich Asians‘ long-awaited sequel is a HBO Max bound streaming series, written and showrun by movie co-writer Adele Lim and starring OG cast members Henry Golding, Constance Wu, Ronnie Chieng, and Academy Award winner Michelle Yeoh. Check out the announcement below;
Set to begin shooting next year, the not-at-all-confusingly titled Crazy Rich Asians series — HBO’s first pick-up since coming under Skydance’s ownership — is set to pick-up where the Crazy Rich Asians movie left off, presumably right after Nick (Golding) and Rachel’s (Wu) lavish engagement celebrations in Singapore. Conspicuous in their absence from the cast list (for now at least) are Gemma Chan, Lisa Lu, and Awkwafina, who were each attached at one time or another to various planned continuations of the franchise — and who we can only hope may get announced for the show further along the line as production ramps up.
**“**It’s a CRAZY RICH family reunion!” shared writer-showrunner Lim in a statement accompanying Crazy Rich Asians‘ series announcement. “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.”
In his own statement, the original movie’s director Jon M. Chu added: ” “Eight years ago, CRAZY RICH ASIANS changed my life, and I got to make it with the most creative and hilarious group of people I’ve ever known. Since then, this cast has become movie stars, superheroes, arena-filling performers and even an Oscar winner, so bringing everyone back together feels like coming home. It’s been incredible watching audiences make this movie part of their lives, from mahjong nights to becoming the ultimate airplane movie, and I can’t wait to share what comes next. 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.”
With the rom-com renaissance in full effect of late thanks to the likes of Voicemails For Isabelle, One Night Only, Office Romance, Finding Emily, and — most recently — Reylo fanfic adaptation The Love Hypothesis, our long wait for a return to the love and chaos-filled world of Crazy Rich Asians may actually prove, in a weird way, perfectly timed. Keep ’em peeled for more on this one as cameras get closer to rolling!
