Between its largely positive critical reception and making roughly $238.5 million worldwide off a $30 million budget, Crazy Rich Asians, adapted from the same-named book by Kevin Kwan, went down as one of 2018’s biggest cinematic successes. So it was hardly surprising when Warner Bros. decided to order a sequel based on China Rich Girlfriend, the next book in Kawn’s literary trilogy. As we near the halfway point of 2022, it’s still unclear when Crazy Rich Asians 2 (as it’s informally known) will come out, but as the wait continues, it’s been revealed that a Crazy Rich Asians spinoff is also in the works.
Jason Kim, a producer and writer on the HBO series Barry, has been tapped to pen a spinoff based following Gemma Chan’s Astrid Leong-Teo and her romance with Harry Shum Jr.’s Charlie Wu, the latter of whom cameoed at the end of Crazy Rich Asians. According to Deadline, Kim came in with a “dynamite pitch” about this couple’s story, resulting in Warner Bros. putting it into early development. Astrid and Charlie’s relationship was explored in China Rich Girlfriend, so the studio is taking a two-pronged approach with adapting the book, as Constance Wu’s Rachel Chu and Henry Golding’s Nick Young will remain the stars of Crazy Rich Asians 2.
In Kevin Kwan’s original trilogy, Charlie Wu was Astrid Leong-Teo’s first love, and while they are engaged to be married, Astrid’s parents broke them up because they didn’t see Charlie as a suitable husband. In the Crazy Rich Asians movie, Gemma Chan’s version of Astrid that her husband Michael, played by Pierre Png, had been cheated on her, and in the mid-credits scene, she and Charlie reconnected during Rachel and Nick’s engagement party. Now the stage is set for them to star in their own cinematic story.
When Crazy Rich Asians came out, Gemma Chan was known from the TV series Humans and movies like Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Since the movie’s release though, she’s played two different MCU roles (Minn-Erva in Captain Marvel and Sersi in Eternals), as well as voiced Namaari in Raya and the Last Dragon, not to mention will be seen later this year in Don’t Worry Darling. As for Harry Shum Jr., his other prominent appearances include Glee, Shadowhunters, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny and the critically-acclaimed Everything Everywhere All at Once.
For those of you wondering what the news of this Crazy Rich Asians spinoff means for Crazy Rich Asians 2, the sequel is still in development. As of March, Amy Wang had been brought aboard as the new scriptwriter. Obviously you’re welcome to read China Rich Girlfriend to get a good idea of what will happen both in Crazy Rich Asians 2 and the Astrid and Charlie-led spinoff, but if you’re only want a minor hint about the former, it’ll follow Rachel and Nick traveling to Shanghai to find Nick’s birth father.
We’ll keep you apprised on more updates on how Crazy Rich Asians 2 and the spinoff are coming along as they come in. For now, there are plenty of 2022 movie releases to keep you entertained in the coming months, and you’re welcome to also stream Crazy Rich Asians with an HBO Max subscription.
