Great news! Warner Bros.’ is moving forward with development of a sequel to “Crazy Rich Asians”. Congratulations to Constance and the entire cast & crew!

The creative team behind Warner Bros.’ breakout romantic comedy is planning to reunite for the sequel, based on Kevin Kwan’s second book, ‘China Rich Girlfriend.’

The Crazy Rich Asians gang is getting back together. Jon M. Chu, who helmed the groundbreaking film that ruled the box office with a $35.3 million five-day opening, is planning to return for the sequel. Warner Bros.’ is moving forward with development on the follow-up, with plans to reunite the first movie’s original team, including producers Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson of Color Force and John Penotti of Ivanhoe.

Chu, whose past credits include 2016’s Now You See Me 2 and 2013’s G.I. Joe: Retaliation, does have a packed schedule, but sources say he’d likely helm the follow-up to Crazy Rich Asians after shooting the long-awaited adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s first musical, In the Heights, which Warners has scheduled for a June 26, 2020, release.

The plan is to also bring back screenwriters Peter Chiarelli and Adele Lim (who penned Crazy Rich Asians), although the deals have not yet been set.

Warner Bros. has not yet officially greenlighted the sequel (it’s standard practice for a studio to take a wait-and-see approach with a new potential franchise) but is moving forward on development. The studio and its CEO and chairman Kevin Tsujihara took a risk by greenlighting a comp-less film starring an all-Asian cast and a very specific story set in Singapore, but with the massive opening weekend results, a strong performance in weeks to come will all but guarantee the sequel is a go. The $30 million production, the first Hollywood studio movie since 1993’s The Joy Luck Club to feature an all-Westernized Asian ensemble, has opened better than any other comedy this year and any rom-com since 2015’s Trainwreck.

Warner Bros. has the option for Kevin Kwan’s entire trilogy, which includes 2015’s China Rich Girlfriend and 2017’s Rich People Problems. “We have a plan with Kevin for the next two films,” says producer Simpson.

This post contains spoilers for Warner Bros.’ Crazy Rich Asians after the cut!! – Continue reading “Crazy Rich Asians” Sequel Moves Forward

When Constance Wu first read the novel “Crazy Rich Asians” some five years ago, she was working as a waitress at Boa Steakhouse in Los Angeles, and the prospects that the book’s lead character Rachel Chu would one day be brought to the screen — and that she would be the one to play her — seemed distant.

“A former agent of mine who is still a dear friend, he thought that this book was sort of taking over,” Wu says late one recent afternoon over the phone from her home in Los Angeles. “He was like, ‘I think you should read this book. I think if they make a movie of this, there’s a part for you.’ And back then, I’m still a waitress and stuff, so I’m reading it, and I’m like, ‘Oh yeah, I could play this part, but I don’t know how to produce or any option or any kind of thing like that.’ So I was like, ‘Ok cool, great book. And when they do — if they do make something — I would love to audition for it.’”

The book, by Kevin Kwan, became an international best-seller and now “Crazy Rich Asians,” the story of a Chinese-American woman who travels to Asia for the first time to meet her boyfriend’s (very) wealthy family, is now a major studio film, the first with an all-Asian cast in Hollywood since 1993’s “The Joy Luck Club.”

The chance to play Rachel Chu almost eclipsed Wu: the book was originally optioned for film with the lead character rewritten for a white actress — yes, really — which Wu says was conceived as a way to make the movie more profitable.

When Constance Wu first read the novel “Crazy Rich Asians” some five years ago, she was working as a waitress at Boa Steakhouse in Los Angeles, and the prospects that the book’s lead character Rachel Chu would one day be brought to the screen — and that she would be the one to play her — seemed distant.

“A former agent of mine who is still a dear friend, he thought that this book was sort of taking over,” Wu says late one recent afternoon over the phone from her home in Los Angeles. “He was like, ‘I think you should read this book. I think if they make a movie of this, there’s a part for you.’ And back then, I’m still a waitress and stuff, so I’m reading it, and I’m like, ‘Oh yeah, I could play this part, but I don’t know how to produce or any option or any kind of thing like that.’ So I was like, ‘Ok cool, great book. And when they do — if they do make something — I would love to audition for it.’”
Continue reading WWD Interview: The Passions & Politics of Constance Wu