One of our favorite movies of last year was Crazy Rich Asians, which was a huge success. After grossing $238 million worldwide and becoming the most successful romantic comedy in a decade, we can’t help but wonder, “Will there be a sequel?”

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Crazy Rich Asians is based on the book by Kevin Kwan, which is a part of a trilogy. The second book of the trilogy is titled China Rich Girlfriend. So if there was to be a sequel, it would be the screen adaptation of that book. Here’s what we know so far.

  1. Warner Bros. has reportedly already moved forward with development. In a report published exactly one week after opening day The Hollywood Reporter said everyone, from the director (Chu) to producers (Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson of Color Force, and John Penotti of Ivanhoe) to the screenwriters (Peter Chiarelli and Adele Lim), plans to reunite for the sequel.
  2. Several characters and maybe even sub plots from the first book are expected to shine in the second movie. In an interview with the director, he said, “I think there are things that we left out of Crazy Rich Asians that we would love to explore as well. We have such a deep bench of characters, as I mentioned before, and I didn’t get to use a lot of them in Crazy Rich Asians,” adding that he’s “focused on having the ability to play to everyone’s strengths now and really lean into them.”
  3. Don’t expect the sequel to be coming out anytime soon. If Warner Bros. does go ahead with the sequel, China Rich Girlfriend will likely be filmed after Director Chu finishes with the movie she’s working on now, which is set for a June 2020 release.
  4. But the good news is, the second and third film adaptations will likely be filmed back-to-back. The current production plan is to shoot China Rich Girlfriend and Rich People Problems (the third book) all in one go. This is largely related to talent availability and Chu’s busy schedule.
  5. (Spoiler alert, proceed with caution) If the movie is a go, expect the plot to be even crazier. If you haven’t read China Rich Girlfriend, you’ve been warned. If you’re familiar with the second book, you know that Rachel and Nick have a small-ish wedding in California, which Eleanor ultimately ends up attending. But the bigger reveal is Rachel’s biological father, Bao Gaoling, a well-connected billionaire politician from Shanghai. He’s got his own family, including a luxury car-loving son, Carlton, who has a toxic relationship with a famous fashion blogger, Colette Bing. (She’s super rich, of course.) As far as storylines go, there’s a brief poisoning scandal, secret investments (good guy Charlie, back at it again), and a messy affair between Kitty and a much, much older billionaire.

 

In the meantime, there’s another Kevin Kwan project to look forward to. The Crazy Rich Asians author announced that another one of his books will be turned into a series. The untitled drama series will center on “Hong Kong’s most influential and powerful family and the business empire they control. It’s something totally different from what I’ve done before.” We can’t wait to watch that show!