Four major stars from the 2018 box office hit Crazy Rich Asians are set to reunite for a new television series produced by HBO and Warner Bros Television. The project will see Constance Wu and Henry Golding reprise their lead roles as Rachel and Nick, while Ronny Chieng returns as Eddie. Additionally, Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh is slated for a recurring role as Nick’s mother Eleanor. Production on the eight-episode series is scheduled to begin next year.
Adele Lim, who co-wrote the original film, will serve as showrunner and executive producer alongside director Jon M. Chu. Lim described the show as a long-awaited sequel, noting that the creative team is currently busy in the writers’ room crafting the narrative. The series plans to delve deeply into the characters and settings established in Kevin Kwan’s bestselling novels, written between 2013 and 2017. Chu remarked that the original project changed his life, praising the cast and crew as the most creative group he has ever known. Lim added: “Our writers room is humming and we can’t wait to share what we’ve come up with.
Casey Bloys, co-chair and chief content officer of Skydance Direct-To-Consumer, noted the global star power of the returning cast members, highlighting the dedication of the franchise’s fanbase. The announcement follows the recent 110 billion pound (82.8 billion pound) merger between HBO’s parent company, Warner Bros, and Paramount Skydance. The upcoming series follows the massive success of the original 2018 film, which featured an all-Asian cast and documented the culture shock experienced by an Asian-American woman meeting her partner’s ultra-wealthy family in Singapore. And the news was announced days after HBO’s parent company Warner Bros announced its £110bn (£82.8bn) merger with Paramount Skydance, the show will be made by HBO.
The original cinematic production was a critical and commercial success, topping the US box office, earning two Golden Globe nominations, and winning best comedy movie at the 2019 Critics Choice Awards. Reflecting on the reunion, Lim stated that bringing the cast back together feels like coming home, especially given their individual growth into global performers and industry icons since the first film’s release.
