HBO Orders Crazy Rich Asians Series With Constance Wu and Henry Golding

HBO has ordered an eight-episode drama series based on Kevin Kwan’s “Crazy Rich Asians” novels, with Constance Wu, Henry Golding and Ronny Chieng returning as series regulars and Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh recurring, Variety and the BBC reported. The one-hour series will pick up after the end of the 2018 film, both outlets said.

Adele Lim, who co-wrote the film, is showrunner and an executive producer. “It’s a ‘Crazy Rich’ family reunion! This series is the sequel we’ve been waiting for, but instead of just one movie, we get eight episodes to delve into the characters and worlds of Kevin Kwan’s brilliant books,” Lim said, according to Variety. The BBC quoted her saying the writers room is “humming.”

Jon M. Chu, who directed the film, will executive produce through Electric Somewhere. “Eight years ago, ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ changed my life,” Chu said in a statement carried by Variety and the BBC. He said the cast had since become “movie stars, superheroes, arena-filling performers and even an Oscar winner,” and that bringing everyone back together “feels like coming home.”

Wu and Golding will reprise Rachel Chu and Nick Young, Chieng returns as Eddie Cheng, and Yeoh will again play Nick’s mother, Eleanor, the BBC reported. Kwan, whose trilogy began with “Crazy Rich Asians” in 2013 and continued with “China Rich Girlfriend” and “Rich People Problems,” said he was thrilled the family was “getting back together” and that fans had been “patiently waiting,” Variety reported.

The film, released in 2018, grossed more than $239 million worldwide against a reported $30 million budget and holds a 91% Rotten Tomatoes score, Variety said. A feature sequel had long been discussed but has not moved forward; the TV series received the greenlight at HBO instead. Variety noted that an Astrid-focused spin-off film once discussed in earlier years has also stayed quiet, leaving the new series as the franchise’s clearest next step. Production is set to begin next year, the BBC reported; ABC News, citing an HBO announcement video, said filming is planned for 2027.

Executive producers also include Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson of Color Force, which developed and produced the film, plus Chloe Dan and Jeannine Tang for SK Global Entertainment, Naia Cucukov Richards and Rose Lam, Variety reported. The series is a co-production of HBO and Warner Bros. Television. Casey Bloys, co-chair and chief content officer of Skydance Direct-To-Consumer, said Constance, Henry, Ronny and Michelle are “global superstars” and that “passionate fans of the film and megahit novels can’t wait to see more,” Variety reported. Channing Dungey, chairman of Warner Bros. Television Group and U.S. Networks, likewise welcomed Adele Lim’s return and the cast’s reunion in a statement quoted by Variety. Find more entertainment coverage on our Hollywood page.

Verification: Cast, Lim and Chu quotes, producing team, box-office figures and HBO/WBTV co-production details are from Variety (Joe Otterson and Angelique Jackson, Oct. 8). Character names, eight-episode format, production “next year,” Critics Choice note and Bloys comment are corroborated by the BBC (Helen Bushby). The 2027 production year is also reported by ABC News (Angeline Jane Bernabe, Oct. 8).