A new comment from an executive at HBO and Max confirmed that a new type of sequel to Crazy Rich Asians is being developed.
Starring Constance Wu and Michelle Yeoh, Crazy Rich Asians premiered in 2018, and Crazy Rich Asians 2 was reported that same year. In fact, not only was a second film—presumably based on the sequel novel Crazy Rich Girlfriend—mentioned, but so was a third.
Though Jon M. Chu, who directed the first movie, has always been set to direct the sequel, there have been several other changes from the initial report. For instance, in 2022, Amy Wang replaced Peter Chiarelli and Adele Lim as the movie's writers.
Otherwise, there has been near radio silence on the project roughly six years since that first announcement.
Crazy Rich Asians 2 Development Update
HBO and Max Studio Chairman and CEO Casey Bloys announced to Variety that a sequel to Crazy Rich Asians is officially in the works and will be releasing in the form of a Max-distributed series.
Bloys offered little details but did confirm that a sequel series following the 2018 movie is being developed:
"There are other properties like 'The Conjuring,' which is a big movie franchise that we’re developing into a series, as well as 'Crazy Rich Asians.'
It is unclear if this is in addition to the previously announced second and third movies or is a replacement for one or both of them. The same goes for the reported spin-off about Astrid Young Teo (Gemma Chan) and Charlie Wu (Harry Shum Jr.) being written by Jason Kim.
While Jon M. Chu was signed on for the second film, it is also unknown if he will direct or be involved in the series. Presumably, he would be if it is replacing the sequel movie, but the answer is less certain if the series is in addition to Crazy Rich Asians 2.
Is This a Crazy Rich Asians Cinematic Universe?
Without clear answers about whether this show is replacing previous plans for Crazy Rich Asians follow-up stories, fans have no reason to assume any project has been canceled.
Theoretically, there could be Crazy Rich Asians 2, Crazy Rich Asians 3, the Astrid and Charlie Crazy Rich Asians spin-off, and the just-announced Crazy Rich Asians sequel series.
Following the precedent set by the MCU, many franchises seek to build cinematic universes, consciously or not.
This is not limited to fictional universes like Marvel or DC. Reports arose about what is essentially a non-fiction cinematic universe telling the story of The Beatles.
However, this is all under the assumption that no formerly announced projects have since been canceled or changed in some form.
Crazy Rich Asians is streaming on Netflix.
Gillian Blum has been a writer at The Direct since 2022, reporting primarily from New York City. Though she covers news from across the entertainment industry, Gillian has a particular focus on Marvel and DC, including comics, movies, and television shows. She also commonly reports on Percy Jackson, Invincible, and other similar franchises.
