The buzz for Crazy Rich Asians hasn’t died down one bit since the film’s release—in fact, Variety reports that Crazy Rich Asians topped the box office with a $35 million five-day opening. The box office numbers reveal, much like the numbers Black Panther and Girls Trip did, that people are hungry for diverse stories and casts, as pointed out by The New York Times.
The box office numbers also allow for some exciting news: Crazy Rich Asians is getting a sequel!
According to NBC News, director Jon M. Chu will return for the second film—considering how well he did with the first one, we can’t wait to see what he comes up with. Most of the original screenwriters and producers will also be coming back for the sequel.
It’s unclear how closely the sequel will track with China Rich Girlfriend, the second novel in Kevin Kwan’s original trilogy upon which the films are based. Rather than focusing on Rachel Chu (Constance Wu) and her boyfriend Nick Young (Henry Golding), NBC News reports that the second film will mostly be about Nick’s cousin Astrid (Gemma Chan), who was a supporting character in Crazy Rich Asians. More specifically, Astrid’s relationship with Charlie Wu (Harry Shum Jr. of Glee and Shadowhunters fame) will take center stage. In Crazy Rich Asians, Charlie only appears in a mid-credits scene, though Entertainment Weekly reports that other scenes with him were filmed and later cut. Perhaps Chu thought Charlie and Astrid deserved a bit more space to tell their story, and what better way to do that than with a sequel?
It’s probably going to be quite a while before we get any more details on the second film, but I already can’t wait. The impact of Crazy Rich Asians has already been felt, and the more films like it that are made, the better.