Watch: Gemma Chan Shares Candid Update on ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ Sequel
Get ready for another crazy rich adventure.
Eight years after Crazy Rich Asians was released—leading to speculation and many delays regarding a potential sequel—HBO has announced an eight-episode follow-up TV series is officially in development, with original stars Constance Wu, Henry Golding, Ronny Chieng and Michelle Yeoh returning to reprise their roles.
“The global sensation continues,” HBO Max shared in a video announcement Oct. 8, which featured clips from the 2018 beloved film. “New series in production 2027.”
While plot details are under wraps, the network confirmed the upcoming one-hour drama series “will pick up after the events of the blockbuster film that became the highest-grossing Hollywood studio romantic comedy at the North American box office in nearly a decade,” per HBO.
But the four OG cast members aren’t the only ones from the Crazy Rich Asians family who are coming back.
After all, the film’s director Jon. M Chu, co-writer Adele Kim and producers Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson are returning for the new project. For the HBO series, Kim has been tapped as showrunner and will executive produce alongside Chu, Jacobson and Simpson.
Since Crazy Rich Asians’ release, fans have long been waiting for a sequel, but the road to a potential second installment was met with a series of challenges, resulting in years of delays.
And, for Chu, “bringing everyone back together” to continue the story “feels like coming home.”
“It’s been incredible watching audiences make this movie part of their lives, from mahjong nights to becoming the ultimate airplane movie,” he shared in HBO’s announcement, “and I can’t wait to share what comes next.”
Chu added, “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.”
Sanja Bucko/Warner Bros/Kobal
And while fans will undoubtedly be excited about Wu and Golding—who play Rachel Chu and Nick Young, respectively—and other stars coming back, what about those who weren’t revealed to be a part of the new TV series, including Awkwafina and Gemma Chan?
Well, it was just recently that Chan expressed that she was “hopeful” that a Crazy Rich Asians sequel project would work out, sharing that she was interested in seeing what happened to her character Astrid Leong after the events of the film.
“I wish I had some juicy info,” she told E! News in June. “I’m the last person to find out.”
“There’s so much to live up to,” Chan continued. “It’s been a while now, so everything has to be as good as [the first film], if not better.”
For a look back at everything that was previously shared about a Crazy Rich Asians sequel, keep reading…
Sanja Bucko/Warner Bros/Kobal
Eric Charbonneau
Doubleday
“Rachel still mourns the fact that her birth father, a man she never knew, won’t be able to walk her down the aisle,” the description on author Kevin Kwan‘s website reads. “Until: a shocking revelation draws Rachel into a world of Shanghai splendor beyond anything she has ever imagined. Here we meet Carlton, a Ferrari-crashing bad boy known for Prince Harry-like antics; Colette, a celebrity girlfriend chased by fevered paparazzi; and the man Rachel has spent her entire life waiting to meet: her father.”The sequel brings back characters from the first book, including Nick’s mother Eleanor Young (Yeoh), Goh Peik Lin (Awkwafina), Astrid Teo (Gemma Chan) and Charlie Wu (Shum).At one point, there were rumors the film sequel would combine the second book with the third, Rich People Problems. But as Chupreviously noted, they didn’t follow the storyline of the first novel to a tee.”We’ve tried all different versions,” he said on Crew Call. “It’s hard because people think the first movie’s like the book, but it actually is not. It’s the right spirit, but the plotting is very different. And so you can’t just go and translate. And we’ve tried versions, and the fact is that we just haven’t gotten there.”
Kevin Mazur/Kevin Mazur/Getty Images
Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images
Emma McIntyre / Staff / GETTY IMAGES
For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News App
