HBO’s ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ Series Reunites the Original Cast for an Eight-Episode Sequel
Adele Lim steps in as showrunner, with Michelle Yeoh recurring and Jon M. Chu back as executive producer.
Summary
HBO has officially greenlit a one-hour drama series based on Kevin Kwan’s bestselling Crazy Rich Asians novels
The show continues the story beyond the film’s ending, with Constance Wu, Henry Golding and Ronny Chieng returning as series regulars
The film’s co-writer leads the project alongside Kwan and the movie’s original producing team
HBO has officially ordered Crazy Rich Asians, a one-hour original drama series that will carry the story forward from where the hit film concluded. Adapted from Kevin Kwan’s globally bestselling books, the series brings back the core cast and much of the creative team responsible for the original movie, and is being developed in partnership with Warner Bros. Television.
The format is the biggest change. Rather than a single feature-length follow-up, the sequel will unfold across eight hour-long episodes, giving the writers far more room to build out Kwan’s characters and settings. “This series is the sequel we’ve been waiting for, but instead of just one movie, we get eight episodes to delve into the characters and worlds of Kevin Kwan’s brilliant books,” said showrunner Adele Lim, who added that the writers room is already in motion.
Lim, who co-wrote the screenplay for the film, will lead the series as showrunner and executive producer. She is joined on the producing side by Kwan, Nina Jacobson, Brad Simpson and Jon M. Chu, the director behind the original movie, keeping the project in the hands of the people who shaped the franchise’s first screen outing.
On camera, the key players are back. Golden Globe nominee Constance Wu, Actor Awards nominee Henry Golding and Emmy winner Ronny Chieng return as series regulars, while Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh will appear in a recurring role. All four reprise the characters they played on the big screen.
The order builds on a franchise with a proven track record. The film became the top-earning Hollywood studio romantic comedy at the North American box office in close to ten years, and the jump to prestige television marks the story’s third format after Kwan’s novels and the movie. Channing Dungey, Chairman of Warner Bros. Television Group and US Networks, framed the series as the latest step in that progression. “From a bestselling novel to a blockbuster film and now television, CRAZY RICH ASIANS has solidified its place as one of the most beloved stories in popular culture,” Dungey said in a statement.
Stay tuned for an official trailer and release date.
