Crazy Rich Asians 2 Gets Disappointing Update From Director

Crazy Rich Asians 2 has received a disappointing update. The Crazy Rich Asians sequel seemed like a guarantee after the 2018 movie grossed $239 million against its $30 million budget and earned two Golden Globe nominations. Adapted from the Kevin Kwan novel, the movie followed Rachel (Constance Wu) learning that her boyfriend Nick (Henry Golding) was part of a rich Singaporean family and fighting to impress his stern mother Eleanor (Michelle Yeoh). As the novel was the first of a trilogy, an adaptation of the sequel China Rich Girlfriend was announced in 2018, but development has stalled in the interim.

The Hollywood Reporter sat down for an interview with Crazy Rich Asians director Jon M. Chu while he was promoting his Oscar-nominated Wicked. When asked for an update on the sequel, Chu revealed that he wants a script “that’s better and has as much urgency” but “we just haven’t gotten there yet.” Because the story of the novel requires “a lot of shifting” to come to the big screen, he is reluctant to reunite the cast until the right story is fully ready. Read Chu’s full quote below:

There are a lot of questions about Crazy Rich Asians 2. I always promised the cast, I will not bring them back unless we get a script that’s better and has as much urgency as the first movie. And I think we just haven’t gotten there yet. The first movie, even though people think, “It’s like the book, so the second book should fit in,” it’s actually not. There’s a lot of shifting, architecturally, and so it’s not a straight translation. And then there are characters that you want to see in a movie that are part of the book. We’ve done some versions and it’s never quite hit. The bar is high for all of us to come back to do that, so I’m not going to put the audience through that until we’re ready to do it.

What This Means For Crazy Rich Asians 2

It Hasn’t Recovered From Its Screenwriting Controversy

The sequel drew controversy early on, which could be a reason no real progress has been made. Although the original movie was a commercial and critical hit, with Crazy Rich Asians reviews earning it a Certified Fresh 91% score on Rotten Tomatoes, returning screenwriter Adele Lim was not offered the same salary as her white male co-writer Peter Chiarelli, causing her to exit the project in 2019. Both she and Chiarelli were replaced by Amy Wang in 2022.

While Chu’s latest update implies that the sequel could still come to fruition, the fact that the script still hasn’t been settled – compounded with the recent announcement of an upcoming Crazy Rich Asians television spinoff – likely means that the movie is not going to be made, at least with the same group of people. Chu himself has a busy schedule, as he has taken on a variety of projects – including the two Wicked movies – in the meantime. The cast is similarly occupied, especially with Yeoh having a career boost after winning an Oscar for Everything Everywhere All At Once.

What The Second Crazy Rich Asians Book Is About

China Rich Girlfriend Was Published In 2015

China Rich Girlfriend follows up the romantic adventures of the first story after Rachel and Nicholas’ tumultuous time with his family. They are now engaged, which has caused Nicholas to be estranged from his family and somewhat struggling with losing his life of privilege. Meanwhile, Rachel discovers that the man her mother was married to is not her biological father and becomes determined to find him. At the same time, she comes to discover she may have a brother living in China.

Crazy Rich Asians Book Series By Kevin Kwan

Another key storyline in the sequel book that was teased in the post-credit scene of Crazy Rich Asians revolves around Astrid’s (Gemma Chan) love life. While she is still struggling with her relationship with her husband, Michael, Astrid reunites with her old flame, Charlie (Harry Shum Jr.) who is having marriage troubles of his own. It all sets the stage for another story filled with comedy, romance, luxury, and family drama.

Our Take On The Crazy Rich Asians 2 Update

The Sequel May Be Better Off Unmade

Ultimately, it may be for the best that Crazy Rich Asians 2 does not get made. In addition to the fact that the actors aging a decade between movies could pose continuity problems, one major issue already facing the screenplay is the fact that China Rich Girlfriend centers on characters who weren’t established in the original movie to the same degree as the novel. Additionally, the Crazy Rich Asians ending wraps up the storyline conclusively in a way the novel does not, so it may be the right move to have the movie operate as a standalone.

A Crazy Rich Asians TV Show Is Coming Before A Sequel

Max Is Developing A Series

The Hollywood Reporter broke news that Max is working on a TV spinoff of Crazy Rich Asians. Not much is known about the show, including whether or not it would connect to the 2018 movie adaptation or be directly adapted from the books, though the latter is likely. Jon M. Chu and original film co-writer Adele Lim are returning for the show, with Chu acting as executive producer. Of the show, Chu had this to say:

“I don’t know if it’s in lieu of a sequel but it felt clear that every character we wanted to explore needed more room and just a movie wasn’t doing it for us. We got to bring Adele back into the fold and so we’re starting this now, it’s going to be fun.”

Lim will executive produce and serve as showrunner via her 100 Tigers label. Chu is likely to be busy after the huge success of Wicked, meaning a film sequel anytime soon is hard to imagine. The show is set to focus on several characters and it’s easier to develop multiple arcs across several hours of a TV series rather than in one film. It’s unclear yet if any of the original cast of Crazy Rich Asians will be returning.

Source: THR

Movie

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Crazy Rich Asians

9/10

Release Date

August 15, 2018

Runtime

121 Minutes

Director

Jon M. Chu

Writers

Pete Chiarelli, Adele Lim