'Crazy Rich Asians' Sequel Is Moving Forward After Box Office Success

After the smashing box office success of “Crazy Rich Asians,” the landmark film is likely getting a sequel, the Hollywood Reporter reported Wednesday.

Warner Brothers is developing “China Rich Girlfriend,” the second book in author Kevin Kwan’s trilogy, with director Jon M. Chu and screenwriters Peter Chiarelli and Adele Lim set to return.

The sequel film, according to the Hollywood Reporter, has not officially been greenlighted but is in development. Studios typically wait to officially launch new franchises, but given the strong box office numbers and positive reviews for “Crazy Rich Asians,” the second movie seems likely to move forward. 

Variety and Deadline subsequently confirmed the initial report.

“Crazy Rich Asians” has been hailed as a milestone for Asian representation in pop culture, featuring the first majority Asian cast for a mainstream Hollywood studio movie since 1993′s “The Joy Luck Club.”

Asian-American audiences particularly have responded positively to the film’s release, as it presents three-dimensional characters and storylines , a sharp departure from other pop culture depictions of Asians, usually reduced to caricatures and stereotypes.

Fans of the first movie should expect even more grandeur in the sequel. The second book continues the main plot lines of the first installment, which chronicles ultra-rich families in Singapore. Yet it adds some new characters and locations, particularly in Shanghai, China, and features an extravagant getaway to Paris.

The sequel may not happen for a while, since Chu has a lot of projects on his plate, including directing a movie adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical “In the Heights.”

In addition to the second book, Warner Brothers also has the movie rights to Kwan’s third book, “Rich People Problems.”