What You Need to Know About the 'Crazy Rich Asians' Movie Sequel

From Cosmopolitan

Crazy Rich Asians dominated the box office in its five-day opening with a whopping $35.3 million. The opening is the best of any comedy in 2018 and-even better-the best of any romantic comedy since Trainwreck, which was released in 2015. CRA has also certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, NBD.

Already, longtime fans of Kevin Kwan’s popular trilogy are looking ahead to the big screen adaptation of the sequel, China Rich Girlfriend. Here’s what we know so far:

1. Want a sequel? Show Crazy Rich Asians your money first. At the world premiere of Crazy Rich Asians in Hollywood, director Jon M. Chu told E! News that while he’s interested in a sequel, ultimately, it’s up to the audience. “If people show up that opening weekend, we would love to tell more stories. We’d love to have other people tell their stories as well. We’ll see, but it’s up to the people who show up.”

In a separate interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Chu added that he would be on board to direct again. “I will do whatever they ask me to do,” he said, referring to Warner Bros. “This is so important to me. I will push things aside.”

2. In fact, Chu led a movement to give Crazy Rich Asians a huge first week in numbers. In early August, Chu and more than 100 “creative, founders, and leaders” announced plans to buy out theaters for a strong opening. The group includes screenwriter Adele Lim, the Shibutani siblings, the Asian American Artists Foundation, and CRA stars Harry Shum Jr. and Jimmy O. Yang.

3. If the movie is a go, expect the plot to be even crazier. If you haven’t read China Rich Girlfriend, you’ve been warned.

W-A-R-N-E-D.

If you’re familiar with the second book, you know that Rachel and Nick have a small-ish wedding in California, which Eleanor ultimately ends up attending. But the bigger reveal is Rachel’s biological father, Bao Gaoling, a well-connected billionaire politician from Shanghai. He’s got his own family, including a luxury car-loving son, Carlton, who has a toxic relationship with a famous fashion blogger, Colette Bing. (She’s super rich, of course.) As far as storylines go, there’s a brief poisoning scandal, secret investments (good guy Charlie, back at it again), and a messy affair between Kitty and a much, much older billionaire.

4. Warner Bros. has reportedly already moved forward with development. Per The Hollywood Reporter, the “wait-and-see approach” is standard when it comes to a sequel, but things are looking up. In a report published Aug. 22-exactly one week after opening day- THR says everyone, from the director (Chu) to producers (Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson of Color Force, and John Penotti of Ivanhoe) to the screenwriters (Peter Chiarelli and Adele Lim), has plans to reunite for the sequel.

5. Given Chu’s already busy schedule, don’t expect the sequel to come out any time soon. According to THR sources, if Warner Bros. does go ahead with the sequel, China Rich Girlfriend will likely be filmed after Chu wraps In the Heights (adapted from Lin-Manuel Miranda’s first musical), which is set for a June 2020 release.

6. The main cast, including Constance Wu, Henry Golding, and Michelle Yeoh, have options for the sequel. As Deadline reports, once a script has been secured and Warner Bros. has officially offered a greenlight, expect all three to return.

7a. If the sequel doesn’t happen, Chu will have to apologize to Harry Shum Jr., probably. If you’ve seen Crazy Rich Asians, you know that Harry Shum Jr. makes the tiniest of cameos in the middle of the credits, when his character Charlie Wu exchanges a brief but flirty glance with former flame Astrid (Gemma Chan) at Nick and Rachel’s engagement party. In China Rich Girlfriend, Charlie and Astrid try to give it another go. “The idea is to tell the story in the next movie,” Chu tells THR. “I made a promise to Harry, so I’m going to do it.”

7b. Chu would also have to apologize to Fiona Xie, who plays Kitty Pong. As mentioned, Kitty has a bigger storyline in China Rich Girlfriend. Chu tells THR that he cast Xie with the other films in mind. “We needed to hire somebody who can really act, because in time she becomes much more significant. I think she’s scared that we’re never going to make that one, but we are. I’ll make it happen.”

8. In the meantime, there’s at least one new Kevin Kwan project to look forward to. In August 2018, Amazon Studios announced that it had ordered a script-to-series project from the author and STXtv. Per Deadline, the untitled drama series will center on “Hong Kong’s most influential and powerful family and the business empire they control.” In a May 2017 interview with Cosmopolitan.com, Kwan teased of the project, “It’s something totally different from what I’ve done before.”

This post will be updated as more news is announced.

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