While the summer isn't necessarily the busiest time for movies, this summer has featured some certifiable box office hits. Among them is Crazy Rich Asians, based off of the acclaimed novel of the same name that was written by Kevin Kwan. Crazy Rich Asians has been praised for its story and performances, as well as the cultural importance of an Asian-led romantic comedy. Given the box office and critical success of Jon M. Chu's rom-com, cinephiles have been wondering if a possible sequel could be in the works. Now they can be rest assured, as Warner Bros. is moving forward with developing a sequel, complete with the film's original production team.
Director Jon M. Chu, and screenwriters Peter Chiarelli and Adele Lim will once again be collaborating for Crazy Rich Asians' newly revealed sequel. Also joining the project are producers Nina Jacobson, Brad Simpson, and John Penotti. There are actually three books in Kevin Kwan's series about one tight-knit and crazy-rich family, and if you've read all three, you may already know the next book in line is China Rich Girlfriend. Just like the first flick, the second movie also looks as if it will take the title of the second book. However, there is one interesting facet about the next movie that has already been touched on by those involved with the project.
The interesting wrinkle about the potential new movie is that China Rich Girlfriend is actually expected to focus more on Astrid, who is introduced in Crazy Rich Asians, but takes the backseat to Rachel and Nick's romance in the first flick. Although we did see Astrid's marriage falling apart in the new movie, it wasn't until the credits started rolling that the movie introduced Charlie Wu, a character who is still in love with Astrid in the books and pops up again right when her marriage to Michael starts unraveling. The second movie will focus more on Astrid (and in addition Michael and Charlie), which is an interesting choice, considering the book title actually focuses on a plotline about Rachel and her father.
This news comes to us from THR, which also reports Rachel and Nick will still have a part in the story, as Rachel and Nick will go to China in search of her father. The outlet notes that Kevin Kwan's books have had some trouble getting published in China, and while this isn't mentioned, I'm wondering if it may reflect why the focal point in the second movie might be changing a bit. As long as Peik Lin and Cousin Oliver still get to hang out, I'm all in.
Jon M. Chu actually has Lin-Manuel Miranda's In The Heights coming up next, so it may actually be a little while before he can begin work on China Rich Girlfriend. Even though Warner Bros. may have to wait for its Crazy Rich Asians sequel, it should be well worth that wait. There's been a lot of buzz surrounding the movie, given what it took to bring the flick to the big screen and the fact that it was the first domestic movie to sport a fully Asian cast in decades. The movie is also making a good chunk of money, especially for a flick that was released in August, so it's easy to see why the studio would want to sign on for more.
The main cast all has options to return (and presumably would), although In The Heights is scheduled for a 2020 release so we may not hear more for a while. With that latter knowledge, it could be a little while before China Rich Girlfriend gets rolling. In the meantime, you can still catch Crazy Rich Asians in theaters or take a look at what else is still hitting theaters this year with our full premiere schedule.
