Remember when you fell in love with Rachel Chu’s journey through Singapore’s ultra-wealthy world back in 2018? Well, get ready because the Crazy Rich Asians universe is about to expand in a major way. Director Jon M Chu has officially confirmed that the long-awaited series is “a real thing,” and honestly, fans couldn’t be more excited.
In a recent interview with Esquire, Chu shared some promising news: “It’s a real thing. We have scripts, and we’re waiting to be officially ready to go. Our cast will be there.” That’s right—the scripts are done, and now it’s just a waiting game for the official green light from HBO Max.
So what exactly can we expect from this series? The show will pick up inspiration from Kevin Kwan’s second book in the trilogy, China Rich Girlfriend, which came out back in 2015. However, Chu was quick to point out that adapting the story isn’t exactly straightforward. He explained, “It’s hard to do the continuation of the books, because our characters changed so much in the first movie. It’s so different [from] the books, actually, even though it feels like it’s the same.”
The good news? That doesn’t mean we’re getting a watered-down version. Instead, the creative team plans to use the books as inspiration while crafting new storylines that honor how the characters evolved in the original film. As Chu put it, “So you couldn’t go one-to-one. But we can use a lot of inspiration from the book to dig out more story from it.”
Now, here’s something that might surprise you. When Chu spoke at the Oscars earlier this year, he revealed why the team decided to go with a TV format rather than rushing into a movie sequel: “We needed more real estate, that was the reality. We developed the movie over and over and over again and we’re still working on a version of something that I won’t talk about now, but the TV landscape allowed us to use all the characters.”
That makes total sense when you think about it. The original Crazy Rich Asians introduced us to such a rich ensemble cast—from Constance Wu‘s Rachel to Henry Golding‘s Nick, plus scene-stealers like Awkwafina, Gemma Chan, and Michelle Yeoh. Chu added that “every character we wanted to explore needed more room and just a movie wasn’t doing it for us.” A series format means we’ll finally get to dive deeper into everyone’s stories.
Speaking of the cast, while nothing’s been officially confirmed yet, the early signs look promising. As of February, the original cast was reportedly in unofficial chats about returning. Plus, with Chu’s confident assertion that “our cast will be there,” it seems like the gang might actually be getting back together.
Behind the scenes, the series has some serious talent lined up. Adele Lim, who co-wrote the original film, will serve as executive producer and showrunner. She’ll be working alongside Chu and author Kevin Kwan, who will both executive produce. This is particularly exciting because Lim knows these characters inside and out, having helped bring them to life on the big screen the first time around.
One thing that’s worth mentioning—and this is important for fans who’ve been waiting for a movie sequel—the series won’t actually replace the long-awaited sequel film. Warner Bros. Pictures and Chu are still developing that project separately. So basically, we’re getting both a series and eventually a movie. Talk about living the Crazy Rich Asians dream!
The timing for this announcement couldn’t be better. The original film was a cultural phenomenon when it hit theaters, becoming the first major Hollywood studio film in over 25 years to feature a predominantly Asian cast. It grossed more than $239 million globally on a modest $30 million budget and sparked important conversations about representation in Hollywood.
Meanwhile, Jon M Chu has been keeping busy with other projects. He’s currently riding high on the success of Wicked, which made a killing at the box office, and he’s got the sequel Wicked: For Good coming out soon. He’s also attached to direct everything from a Hot Wheels movie to a Britney Spears biopic. But clearly, he hasn’t forgotten about the world that helped establish him as a powerhouse director.
What makes this series particularly exciting is the format itself. While the 2018 film gave us a taste of Singapore’s elite society and its family dynamics, a TV series can really unpack the complexity of these characters and their relationships. We’re talking multiple episodes to explore the intricate social hierarchies, family drama, and of course, all that jaw-dropping wealth and luxury that made the original so addictive to watch.
The development has been in the works for a while now. Max’s Crazy Rich Asians TV series officially opened a development room earlier this year with Lim leading the charge. The fact that scripts are already complete suggests the project is further along than many fans might have realized.
As we wait for HBO Max to give the official thumbs up, one thing is clear: the Crazy Rich Asians story is far from over. With Chu at the helm, Lim running the show, and hopefully the original cast returning, this series has all the ingredients to be just as groundbreaking as the film that started it all. Now we just need to practice our patience—though if there’s one thing this franchise has taught us, it’s that good things are worth waiting for.
