‘Crazy Rich Asians’ set to return as new series, with original movie’s stars reprising roles

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Eight years after “Crazy Rich Asians” broke new ground for Asian representation in Hollywood, the blockbuster that became a cultural phenomenon is writing a new chapter.

The franchise will return in a new television series on HBO Max, the streaming platform announced on social media, with the main cast from the ensemble – including Michelle Yeoh, Constance Wu and Henry Golding – set to reprise their roles.

“Not just rich – crazy rich,” HBO Max wrote on Instagram, adding the series will begin production in 2027. HBO Max, like CNN, is owned by Skydance.

When it opened in theaters in 2018, the romantic comedy was hailed as a watershed moment for inclusivity in Hollywood, featuring the first all-Asian cast in a major Hollywood movie in more than two decades. It triumphed at the box office, raking in more than $230 million globally, and drew rave reviews.

For many Asians, the film became a source of cultural pride, offering a rare spotlight on the community’s diversity, influence and growing visibility.

“Eight years ago, Crazy Rich Asians changed my life,” wrote the film’s director Jon M. Chu on his Instagram stories. “It’s been incredible watching audiences make this movie part of their lives, from mahjong nights to becoming the ultimate airplane movie. And I can’t wait to share what comes next. Finally, I get to answer the question I’ve been asked almost every day for eight years: ‘when are we getting the sequel?’”

Based on Kevin Kwan’s novel, “Crazy Rich Asians” tells the story of Rachel Chu (Wu), a New York economics professor, who is thrust into the world of opulence and glamour thanks to her boyfriend Nicholas Young (Golding).

Nick, the heir to one of Singapore’s wealthiest families, takes Rachel home to accompany him for his best friend’s wedding, where she must win over his imperious mother, Eleanor (Yeoh). Along the way, she meets Nick’s eccentric family and friends, some of whom help her, while others seek to jeopardize their romance.

Emma McIntyre/Getty Images/File

The film’s ensemble cast includes Ken Jeong, Awkwafina, Ronny Chieng and Gemma Chan.

HBO Max said in its post that Chieng is expected to return in his role as Edison “Eddie” Cheng, Nick’s status-obsessed cousin from Hong Kong.

Adele Lim, who co-wrote the 2018 film, expressed her excitement in a post on Instagram, saying : “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.”

Lim and Chu may have more material to develop the new series.

Kwan’s novel “Crazy Rich Asians” was published in 2013, followed by “China Rich Girlfriend” two years later, and then “Rich People Problems” in 2017, though it’s not immediately clear if the series will include material from the sequels.

The “Crazy Rich Asians” movie came out around the time the public was demanding greater representation, with Hollywood facing accusations of “whitewashing.”

Chu, who went on to direct “In the Heights” and the “Wicked” movies, previously spoke to CNN about how these conversations impacted his work.

“I was definitely affected by … people fighting back for the first time, finding each other and uniting to discuss issues that we all knew were happening but didn’t feel like anyone cared enough to make it a ‘thing,’” he said in an interview in 2021. “I realized I had been in those rooms, where I was being told ‘you can’t cast this person or that person as this romantic lead,’ because it needed to ‘play globally.’”

Jeong, who starred as Papa Goh, an eccentric, newly wealthy businessman from Singapore in “Crazy Rich Asians,” told CNN in 2018 that he was overwhelmed by the love the film was receiving.

“This is beyond expected for all of us,” Jeong said . “It’s been highly emotional for the whole cast and crew. The fans have spoken … I’m so grateful to the fans and it just shows that it’s time.”

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《摘金奇缘》在好莱坞为亚裔形象开辟了新天地八年后，这部成为文化现象的票房大片正在谱写新的篇章。

该系列电影将在 HBO Max 上推出全新电视剧，流媒体平台在社交媒体上宣布，原班人马——包括杨紫琼、吴恬敏和亨利·戈尔丁——将回归出演各自的角色。

HBO Max在Instagram上写道：“不仅仅是富有——而是超级富有”，并补充说该剧将于2027年开始制作。HBO Max和CNN一样，都隶属于Skydance公司。

这部浪漫喜剧于2018年上映时，被誉为好莱坞包容性发展的一个里程碑，因为它是二十多年来好莱坞主流电影中首部全亚裔阵容的作品。该片票房大获成功，全球票房超过2.3亿美元，并收获了如潮好评。

对于许多亚洲人来说，这部电影成为了文化自豪感的来源，它难得地展现了该群体的多样性、影响力和日益增长的知名度。

“八年前，《摘金奇缘》改变了我的人生，”该片导演朱浩伟在Instagram限时动态中写道。“看着观众们把这部电影融入到他们的生活中，从麻将之夜到飞机上的必看影片，这感觉太棒了。我迫不及待地想和大家分享接下来的计划。终于，我可以回答过去八年来几乎每天都会被问到的问题了：‘续集什么时候上映？’”

根据凯文·关的小说改编，《疯狂亚洲富豪》讲述了纽约经济学教授瑞秋·朱（吴恬敏饰）的故事，她因为男友尼古拉斯·杨（戈尔丁饰）而进入了奢华迷人的世界。

尼克是新加坡最富有家族之一的继承人，他带瑞秋回家参加好友的婚礼。瑞秋必须赢得尼克专横跋扈的母亲埃莉诺（杨紫琼饰）的芳心。在此过程中，她结识了尼克古怪的家人和朋友，有些人帮助她，而另一些人则试图破坏他们的恋情。

Emma McIntyre/Getty Images/档案照片

该片的群星阵容包括郑肯、奥卡菲娜、罗尼·程和嘉玛·陈。

HBO Max 在帖子中表示，程志强有望回归饰演郑爱迪（Edison “Eddie” Cheng），他是尼克在香港的表弟，一个痴迷于身份地位的人。

2018 年电影的联合编剧阿黛尔·林在 Instagram 上发帖表达了她的兴奋之情，她说：“我们终于可以制作全世界一直渴望的续集了，但这次不是再拍一部电影，而是八集《疯狂富豪魔法》。”

林和朱或许有更多素材来开发新剧集。

关颖珊的小说《疯狂亚洲富豪》于 2013 年出版，两年后又出版了《中国富豪女友》，2017 年又出版了《富豪的烦恼》，但目前还不清楚该系列是否会包含续集中的内容。

电影《摘金奇缘》上映之际，正值公众要求提高多元化代表性，好莱坞面临“洗白”指控之时。

后来执导了《身在高地》和《魔法坏女巫》系列电影的朱浩伟此前曾向 CNN 讲述过这些对话如何影响了他的作品。

“我肯定受到了……人们第一次奋起反抗，找到彼此，团结起来讨论我们都知道正在发生但却感觉没有人足够关心到把它变成‘大事’的问题的影响，”他在2021年的一次采访中说道。“我意识到我曾经也身处那些房间里，被告知‘你不能让这个人或那个人来演这个浪漫男主角’，因为这部电影需要‘在全球范围内上映’。”

在电影《摘金奇缘》中饰演古怪的新加坡新晋富商“吴爸爸”的郑肯在 2018 年接受 CNN 采访时表示，他对这部电影所受到的喜爱感到受宠若惊。

“这对我们所有人来说都完全出乎意料，”郑肯说道。“整个剧组都激动不已。粉丝们已经表达了他们的心声……我非常感谢粉丝们，这也说明时机已到。”