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Eight years after Crazy Rich Asians became a box-office hit and a landmark moment for Asian representation in Hollywood, its story is heading back to the screen — this time as an HBO series.
The eight-episode, one-hour drama will pick up after the events of the 2018 film. Constance Wu, Henry Golding and Ronny Chieng are returning as series regulars, while Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh will reprise her role as a recurring character. Production is slated to begin in 2027.
Based on Kevin Kwan’s bestselling novels, the series will be led by Adele Lim, who co-wrote the film. Kwan, director Jon M. Chu and producers Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson are also returning as executive producers. The series will be co-produced by HBO and Warner Bros. Television.
WATCH | HBO teaser trailer:
“This series is the sequel we’ve been waiting for,” Lim said in a statement. She says the eight episodes would give the story room to explore its characters and settings, but the production hasn’t specified which storylines it will adapt from the books.
The 2018 movie follows Rachel (Wu), a New York economics professor, who travels to Singapore with her boyfriend, Nick (Golding), and discovers he belongs to one of the country’s wealthiest families. Yeoh plays Nick’s formidable mother, Eleanor, while Chieng portrays his cousin Eddie.
The announcement finally answers a question fans have been asking since the film’s release: what’s next for Rachel and Nick?
In a statement, Chu had his own answer, channelling Awkwafina’s scene-stealing, unfiltered character, Goh Peik Lin. “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 b—h, we’re back,” he said, quoting Peik Lin’s famous line.
Director Jon M. Chu, second from left, and author Kevin Kwan, far right, pose with the cast of Crazy Rich Asians at the Los Angeles premiere of the film on Aug. 7, 2018. (Emma McIntyre/Getty Images)
‘Catching up on old friends’
For Toronto entertainment blogger Will Wong, the news means a long-awaited reunion. He attended the film’s 2018 Toronto premiere and has followed its cast and story ever since.
“It’ll be like catching up on old friends,” he said.
Crazy Rich Asians was widely seen as a breakthrough when it was first released. It featured the first all-Asian cast in a major Hollywood film in more than two decades, since The Joy Luck Club (1993).
Made for a reported $30 million US, the romantic comedy grossed more than $239 million US. According to HBO, it became the highest-grossing Hollywood studio romantic comedy at the North American box office in nearly a decade.
Wong, who is “very proudly Asian,” says the 2018 film offered a distinctive take on the Asian American experience. “There’s still so much more room for stories in that realm,” he said.
The film’s success arrived amid growing scrutiny of Hollywood’s limited representation of Asian characters and stories. For many viewers, its lavish Singapore setting, family drama and romance offered a rare big-screen celebration of Asian characters at the centre of a major studio release.
Wong says the series could build on that success — and on the audience’s attachment to its characters. He’s hopeful the show will include more of Awkwafina and Gemma Chan’s Astrid, although neither actor is confirmed to be in the cast.
Michelle Yeoh, centre, will reprise her role as Eleanor Young in the Crazy Rich Asians HBO series. (Warner Bros. Pictures)
The television format may offer a longer runway for that world. Kwan’s book series began with Crazy Rich Asians in 2013, followed by China Rich Girlfriend in 2015 and Rich People Problems in 2017.
For Kwan, seeing the characters return in a series is “a dream come true,” he said in a statement, thanking fans who have waited for the next chapter.
Wong hopes the show helps open doors for more Asian talent. He says the industry needs to keep giving writers, directors, actors and other creatives opportunities and platforms.
“Barriers still exist to this day, but I think we’re getting there, we’re making progress,” he said. “I think it’s going to do well, I have no doubt about it. I think it’s going to be a smash.”
