What happened to Crazy Rich Asians 2? Over half a decade since the OG film’s release, the sequel is still TBC – though a Broadway adaptation was just announced
It’s been six years since Crazy Rich Asians was released, with the film becoming an instant hit in the box office and global phenomenon for its candid representation of the ultra-wealthy Asian-American community to Hollywood and the world.
The movie was a massive success, no doubt, so it was no surprise when reports emerged about a sequel to the film based on the book by the same name by Singapore-born author Kevin Kwan.
But what’s happened to this supposed sequel? It’s been over half a decade – more than the usual waiting time between films – with hardly any updates. According to Screenrant, Warner Bros. haven’t announced any official confirmation or updates in recent months either.
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It hasn’t all been radio silence though – some exciting news came to light just this week. According to Variety, Warner Bros. is in the process of developing a Broadway adaptation of the blockbuster film under the helm of its original director, Jon M. Chu.
Here’s what we know.
What happened to the Crazy Rich Asians sequel’s scriptwriters?
What will it be about?
The follow-up film is likely to centre around China Rich Girlfriend, Kwan’s second book in his series. According to the plot’s description on IMDB, the story will focus on Rachel Chu’s engagement to Nicholas Young. On the eve of their wedding in Hong Kong, Chu reportedly meets her biological father, who turns out to be a rich politician and owner of a pharmaceutical company.
Who’s on the cast list?
Although nothing is confirmed yet, Digital Spy notes that it’s likely that many of the original cast members like Wu, Golding, Chan, Awkwafina, Lisa Lu, Jeong, Yeoh and Harry Shum Jr will return.
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What have previous cast members said?
Despite being busy with new projects, it seems like many of the previous cast members are still keen to join the sequel. In 2020, Golding told Digital Spy, “They’ve got the two books that Kevin Kwan wrote still to come, and they’re trying to find an angle to convert those from page to script to film. It’s a very complicated process because, visually, sometimes a novel doesn’t make as much sense as it would on the screen in a direct adaptation. So you have to really change it up to make it interesting.”
Meanwhile, Shum told Cinemablend in 2023, “I think at this point they’re writing it and trying to just get it right. So as far as I know now, I don’t know any concrete date of when it would go, but I’m just as excited as the audience to get this going.”
- It’s been 6 years since Crazy Rich Asians was released, with the film becoming an instant hit – but what’s going on with its sequel, likely based on China Rich Girlfriend, written by Kevin Kwan in 2015?
- In 2022, Warner Bros. and Color Force confirmed that writer Amy Wang would replace screenwriters Peter Chiarelli and Adele Lim, while Oscar-winning actress Michelle Yeoh said they’re ‘still waiting’