Crazy Rich Asians director confirms TV series, instead of a sequel: ‘Just a movie wasn’t doing it for us’

In a recent interview John M Chu explained that the small-screen format would allow for a more expansive adaptation of Kevin Kwan’s bestselling trilogy.

Filmmaker Jon M. Chu, director of the 2018 film Crazy Rich Asians, has confirmed that the follow-up to the blockbuster hit will be a television series rather than a sequel. Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter recentl, Chu explained the decision, revealing that a TV format would allow for a more expansive adaptation of Kevin Kwan’s bestselling trilogy.

Filmmaker Jon M. Chu confirmed that the highly anticipated follow-up will be a television series rather than a sequel.

“We needed more real estate, that was the reality. We developed the movie over and over and over again and we’re still working on a version of something that I won’t talk about now, but the TV landscape allowed us to use all the characters,” said the filmmaker.

The series is being developed by Max, with Chu on board as an executive producer alongside Kwan, Nina Jacobson, and Brad Simpson, who also produced the film. Adele Lim, who co-wrote the screenplay for the original movie, will serve as showrunner.

The planned sequel had been delayed for quite some time, but Chu reassured audiences that a second film is not necessarily off the table. “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,” he said.

Lim, who co-wrote the original film with Peter Chiarelli, departed the sequel in 2019 due to a pay disparity. Now, she is set to lead the series adaptation, ensuring that the world of Crazy Rich Asians expands beyond the constraints of a single film.

The first movie starred Constance Wu as Rachel, a native New Yorker who accompanies her boyfriend Nick (Henry Golding) to his best friend’s wedding in Singapore. There, she is stunned to discover that her partner comes from a family of immense wealth and must contend with jealous socialites, eccentric relatives, and, perhaps most daunting, Nick’s disapproving mother (Michelle Yeoh).

The romantic comedy, the first film to feature a majority-Asian cast since 1993’s The Joy Luck Club, also starred Awkwafina, Gemma Chan, Ken Jeong, Ronny Chieng, Chris Pang, Harry Shum Jr., and Nico Santos.