After years of back and forth with a potential sequel film, we’re finally getting more Crazy Rich Asians. A new eight-episode series of hour-long episodes has found a home at HBO for even more iconic rom-com fun. What’s even better? All four leads from the original film — Constance Wu, Henry Golding, Ronny Chieng, and Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh — are set to return. But now, fans are left wondering if Harry Shum Jr. — who’s currently on Season 35 of Dancing with the Stars — will be reprising his role as well.
The 2018 film follows Rachel (Wu), who discovers her boyfriend, Nick (Golding), comes from an extremely wealthy family. The pair go to Nick’s best friend Colin’s wedding, where Rachel meets Nick’s family, including his mother, Eleanor (Yeoh), and cousins Eddie (Chieng) and Astrid (Gemma Chan). The family, especially Eleanor, is initially icy towards Rachel for coming from a different class background. But by the end of the film, the couple earns Eleanor’s blessing and chooses to stay in Singapore.
Shum Jr. plays a minor but unforgettable role in the original film as Charlie Wu, Astrid’s whirlwind college romance and ex-fiancé. While the vast majority of the Grey’s Anatomy and Glee actor’s scenes were cut from the final version, he does appear during a mid-credits scene and locks eyes with Astrid, setting up a future romance. The pair are the main focus in author Kevin Kwan’s 2015 novel China Rich Girlfriend, the second book in his Crazy Rich Asians series (which the film and series are based on).
So, with the pair’s romance flawlessly set up from the last installation, and eight episodes for their characters to be expanded on, it would be a perfect opportunity for Shum Jr. to return. In fact, the a sequel film they had reportedly planned for in 2022 was going to prominently feature him. Plus, with so many of the core cast members returning — and original screenwriter Adele Lim and director Jon M. Chu coming back as showrunner and executive producer, respectively — it wouldn’t be a total surprise to see Shum Jr. back.
While no official statement has been made on whether he or Chan will be returning yet, or what the sequel series will focus on, fans are certainly begging for more Astrid and Charlie. One user on X wrote: “I was promised Astrid and Charlie. I need Gemma Chan and Harry Shum back.” Another reacted to the announcement saying: “I just care about Harry Shum Jr. and Gemma Chan here tbh.”
Let’s be honest: Shum Jr. is absolutely killing it on this season of Dancing with the Stars. Who wouldn’t want more of him on their TV screens?