It’s official: eight long, tedious years after the cultural phenomenon dazzled us on the silver screen, Crazy Rich Asians, also known as our beloved ultimate airplane movie, will finally get its highly anticipated sequel.
On Oct. 8, HBO Max posted the exciting video announcement on Instagram. The sequel will take form in an eight-episode original series on HBO Max, which has been greenlit to start filming sometime in 2027. As of now, the series cast consists of returning alum actors Constance Wu, Henry Golding, Ronny Chieng, and Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh.
John M. Chu, who went on to direct the iconic adaptation of Wicked, also starring Yeoh, will be returning to the director’s chair once again. In a statement, Chu expresses his delight: “Eight years ago, Crazy Rich Asians changed my life, and I got to make it with the most creative and hilarious group of people I’ve ever known…. 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—-, we’re back.”
HBO Max Series announcement
When the news dropped, fans all over the world were shocked at the news that the idea of a sequel was no longer a “screaming as they drag me to the white room” situation.
A sequel to the movie was always hinted at, considering the post-credit scene of Crazy Rich Asians with Astrid and Charlie Wu’s meeting quietly confirming their intention to continue through the book sequels of Crazy Rich Asians, those being China Rich Girlfriend and Rich People Problems by Kevin Kwan.
However, the production of the sequel has been slowed down, practically to death from a mountain of obstacles. The first major issue was brought to light in 2019, with the controversy of Adele Lim, a co-screenwriter, walking out on the second film due to pay disparity issues.
Then came the major blow to production that was the COVID-19 pandemic, which shut down everything movie-related in Hollywood. Once Hollywood began to pump out productions again, actors who were launched into stardom because of the film became involved in different projects that made scheduling difficult.
Even without these events occurring, Chu stated production was slow due to the pressure of living up to the gigantic name and reputation of the first film, saying, “I want it to be worthy of what Crazy Rich Asians (2018) was.”
It makes sense that Chu would want to take his time to ensure its quality. The fact that viewers and news outlets were still avidly questioning him about a movie made in 2018 shows just how big the impact Crazy Rich Asians had on the film industry.
The Impact of ‘Crazy Rich Asians’
During its release, the film made $239 million worldwide at the box office and holds a 91% on the Tomatometer as of 2026. While Crazy Rich Asians didn’t take home many major awards, its impact was felt throughout audiences and Hollywood with the issue of representation. The film served as a step in the right direction for representation in film, being the first Hollywood production with a predominantly Asian cast.
Crazy Rich Asians was a special movie even without considering representation alone. It was something refreshing, visually stunning, and rejuvenated the dying rom-com genre with a meaningful and heartwarming experience of family and love.
That’s a pretty tall order to fulfill for the sequel.
As for the plot of the series, not many specifics have been released just yet. Since even the original Crazy Rich Asians movie didn’t exactly parallel the book, the writers will be taking elements from both the second and third books of Kwan’s book series for the HBO sequel series.
With the announcement of this series amid the era of spin-offs and sequels in Hollywood, will this new series be a shiny beacon of hope for television? The release date for the HBO series is TBD. For now, Crazy Rich Asians fans must do what they’ve been doing for the past eight years: wait a little longer.
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