The long-awaited spin off of the hit rom-com, ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ is finally moving forward. What was initially touted to be a film, will now hit screens as an eight-episode original drama series.Based on Kevin Kwan’s bestselling novels, with production scheduled to begin in 2027. The series will pick up after the events of the 2018 blockbuster, reuniting several members of the original cast and creative team.Constance Wu, Henry Golding and Ronny Chieng are set to return as series regulars, reprising their roles as Rachel Chu, Nick Young and Eddie Cheng, respectively. Oscar-winning actor Michelle Yeoh will also return to the franchise as Eleanor Young in a recurring role.“Not just rich — crazy rich. From Jon M. Chu and Adele Lim, #CrazyRichAsians will continue as an HBO Original Series starting production in 2027.,” read the official post by HBO, featuring a teaser of the upcoming series.Adele Lim, who co-wrote the original film, also took to her handle to write, “WE’RE DOING IT!!! Eight years ago @jonmchu pulled me on to the Crazy Rich ride of a lifetime, which started with the brilliant @kevinkwanbooks. We finally get to make the sequel the world been clamoring for, but instead of one more movie, we’ll have EIGHT EPISODES OF CRAZY RICH MAGIC. Thank you to the fans for your patience, love, and support. IT WILL BE WORTH THE WAIT. Thank you to our Aunties and Uncles who made this happen.”Prior to the show’s announcement, a spin-off film, centred on fan favourite characters played by Gemma Chan and Harry Shum Jr., was originally in the works. It was reported that the rom-com would follow Astrid Young Teo (Chan), who in the first film, learns that her husband (Pierre Png) has been unfaithful; she reconnects with first love and former fiancé Charlie Wu (Shum Jr.) at Nick’s engagement party. As Deadline reported, the Kwan novels include that Astrid’s parents broke up her engagement to Charlie as he was not a “suitable husband” due to their socioeconomic differences.Released in 2018, ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ followed Rachel, a Chinese-American professor who discovers the extraordinary wealth and social standing of her boyfriend Nick’s family while visiting Singapore. The film became a major box-office success, grossing approximately USD 239 million worldwide and earning recognition for its predominantly Asian cast.Further casting details and a premiere date is still awaited.
